HX.536. 

at/ 


ESSAY 


ON 

^  • .«  \  7 

0b  * 

CATHOLICISM 

i 

j  .  * 

LIBERALISM  AND  SOCIALISM 

CONSIDERED  IN  THEIR  FUNDAMENTAL  PRINCIPLES. 


BY 


DON  JUAN  DONOSO  CORTES 


MARQUIS  OF  VALDEGAMAS. 


FROM  THE  ORIGINAL  SPANISH. 


TO  WHICH  IS  PREFIXED 

A  SKETCH  OF  THE  LIFE  ANH  WORKS  OF  THE  AUTHOR 

FROM  THE  ITALIAN  OF  G.  E.  DE  CASTRO. 


TRANSLATED  BY 


MADELEINE  VINTON  GODDARD. 

BOSTON  COLLFGE  LIBRARY 


,  MASS 


« 


PHILADELPHIA: 

J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT  &  CO. 
1  8  62. 


Entered,  according  to  the  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1862,  by 
M.  Y.  GODDARD, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  Rates  for  the  District  of 

Columbia. 


3  fry  a. 


BEATISSIMO  PADRE, 

PlACCIA  ALLA  SANTITA  SUA  DI  ACCETTARE  I  MIEI  TRAVAGLI  IN  TRADURRE 
COTESTO  LIBRO;  COME  UN  PEGNO  SICURO  DI  FILIALE 
AFFETTO,  E  VENERAZIONE  MOLTO 
PROFONDA. 

Della  sua  figlia  in  Cristo, 

MADDALENA  YINTON  GODDARD. 


HOLY  FATHER, 


Deign  to  accept  the  labors  of  this  translation,  as  an  expression 

OF  FILIAL  AFFECTION  AND  MOST  PROFOUND 
VENERATION,  FROM 

Your  child  in  Christ, 

MADELEINE  YINTON  GODDARD. 


(i«) 


ALLA  SANTITA  DI  N.  S.  PIO  IX. 


Beatissimo  Padre. 

Nella  speranza  di  pot  ere  avanzare  gli  interessi  della  nostra  Santa 
religione,  col  diffondere  i  sentimenti  religiosi  di  uomini  illustri,  ho 
credato  dovere  tradurre  in  lingua  nostra  vernacolare,  le  opere  di 
Donoso  Cortes,  le  quali  furono  altravolta  tradotte  in  lingua  Francese 
con  approvazione  di  Y.  Santita.  Degnisi  pero  di  accettare  quest o 
pegno  di  filiale  affetto,  e  di  darle  la  sua  santa  benedizione.  Pros¬ 
trata  ai  piedi  della  Santita  Vostra  li  bacio  reverent emente. 

Di  V.  Santita 

Divotissima  figlia 

Maddalkna  Vinton  Goddard. 


Washington,  16  Febbraio,  1862. 


Testor  ego  Card.  Praefectus  S.  Congnis  de 
propaganda  fide  superiorem  benedictionem  sig- 
natam  fuisse  manu  SSmi.  D.  N.  Pii  Divina 
Providentia  PP.  IX. 

i 

Al.  Card.  Barnabo. 


(v) 


NOTICE. 


The  dogmatical  portion  of  this  work  has  been  examined  by 
one  of  the  most  eminent  theologians  of  Paris,  belonging  to  the 
glorious  school  of  the  Benedictines  of  Solesmes.  In  the  final 
revision  of  this  work,  the  author  has  conformed  to  all  his 
suggestions. 


C  0  N  T  E  N  T  S. 


i 


Sketch  of  the  Author .  9 

BOOK  I. 

Chapter  I. — How  every  great  political  question  always  involves 

a  great  theological  question .  17 

Chapter  II. — Of  society  as  regulated  by  Catholic  theology.. .  31 

Chapter  III. — Society  as  regulated  by  the  Catholic  Church .  41 

Chapter  IY. — Catholicism  is  Love .  58 

Chapter  V. — That  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  has  not  triumphed 
over  the  world  by  the  sanctity  of  his  doctrines,  or  by 
prophecies  and  miracles,  but  in  spite  of  all  these  things..  63 
Chapter  VI. — That  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  has  triumphed  over 

the  world  exclusively  by  supernatural  means  .  69 

Chapter  VII. — That  the  Catholic  Church  has  triumphed  over 
society,  notwithstanding  the  same  obstacles,  and  by  the 
same  supernatural  means  which  rendered  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  victorious  over  the  world .  82 

BOOK  II. 

Chapter  I. — Of  free  will  in  man .  93 

Chapter  II. — Some  objections  respecting  this  dogma  answered..  99 

Chapter  III. — Manicheism — Manicheism  of  Proudhon .  Ill 

Chapter  IV.— How  Catholicism  explains  the  dogmas  of  Provi¬ 
dence  and  of  Liberty,  without  adopting  the  theory  of  a 

rivalry  between  God  and  man .  121 

( vii ) 


vm 


CONTENTS. 


Chapter  V. — Secret  analogies  between  the  physical  and  moral 

perturbations,  caused  by  human  liberty .  131 

Chapter  VI. — Of  the  angelical  and  human  prevarication  ;  great¬ 
ness,  and  enormity  of  sin .  140 

Chapter  VII. — How  God  causes  good  to  result  from  the  angel¬ 
ical  and  human  prevarication .  150 

Chapter  VIII. — Solutions  of  the  liberal  school  relative  to  these 

problems .  161 

Chapter  IX. — Socialist  solutions .  173 

Chapter  X. — Continuation  of  the  same  subject — Conclusion  of 

this  book .  187 

BOOK  III. 

Chapter  I. — Transmission  of  sin — Dogma  of  imputation .  207 

Chapter  II. — How  God  brought  good  out  of  the  transmission  of 
sin,  and  of  penalty — The  purifying  elfect  of  pain  freely 

accepted .  218 

Chapter  III. — The  dogma  of  solidarity — Contradictions  of  the 

liberal  school .  220 

Chapter  IV. — Continuation  of  the  same  subject — Socialist  con¬ 
tradictions  . . .  246 

Chapter  V. — Continuation  of  the  same  subject .  268 

Chapter  VI. — Dogmas  correlative  with  the  dogma  of  solidarity 
— Bloody  sacrifices — Theories  of  the  rationalist  schools 

respecting  the  death  penalty .  278 

Chapter  VII. — Recapitulation — Inefficacy  of  all  the  solutions 

proposed — Necessity  of  a  higher  solution .  293 

Chapter  VIII. — Of  the  incarnation  of  the  Son  of  God  and  the 

redemption  of  mankind .  302 

Chapter  IX. — Continuation  of  the  same  subject — Conclusion...  312 


NOTICE  OF  THE  AUTHOR. 

I 


John  Donoso  Cortes  was  born  at  Yaldegamas,  the  sixth  of 
May,  1809.  At  five  years  of  age  he  entered  a  primary  school, 
and  at  eleven  he  had  finished  the  humanities;  at  twelve  he  entered 
the  University  of  Salamanca,  in  order  to  study  law;  and  at  six¬ 
teen,  like  Leibnitz,  he  was  prepared,  had  he  not  been  too  young, 
to  receive  his  degree  of  Bachelor.  In  the  mean  time  he  devoted 
all  his  energies  to  the  study  of  philosophy,  history,  and  Belles- 
lettres,  under  that  able  and  philosophical  writer,  Emanuel  Quin¬ 
tana.  From  Quintana  he  received  the  current  ideas  of  the  day: 
an  admiration  of  French  authors,  a  contempt  for  those  of  Spain, 
in  a  word,  that  learned  incredulity  which  prevailed  among  the  last 
generation. 

For  more  than  two  centuries  Jansenism  and  philosophism  had 
corrupted  the  land  of  Pelagio  and  the  Cid.  D’ Aranda  and  Pom- 
bal  had  dared  to  attack  those  very  laws,  proclaimed  by  the  Coun¬ 
cil  of  Toledo,  which  had  shown  the  magnificent  influence  of  the 
Church  in  the  maintenance  of  liberty  and  justice.  Spain  was  no 
longer  distinguished  above  others  as  the  Catholic  nation,  the 
nation  of  profound  and  heartfelt  convictions ;  the  traditional 
grandeur  of  her  faith  had  taken  the  place  of  the  reality;  and 
faith,  instead  of  being  an  absolute  necessity,  had  degenerated 
into  a  mere  habit. 

Donoso  was  affected  by  the  spirit  of  the  age  in  which  he  lived, 
and  was  in  his  earlier  youth,  like  the  greater  number  of  those 

2  ( ix ) 


X 


NOTICE  OF  THE  AUTHOR. 


around  him,  a  philosophist.  This  is  evident  in  his  first  works, 
which  he  always  held  in  slight  estimation  on  that  account.  He 
afterward  courageously  renounced  many  of  his  early  opinions, 
others  were  changed,  and  he  had  need  to  be  ashamed  of  none,  for 
his  faith  became  firm,  and  was  boldly  defended.  When  he  was 
only  nineteen  years  of  age,  Quintana,  surprised  at  his  great  tal¬ 
ents,  proposed  to  him  to  accept  the  professorship  he  was  about 
to  vacate.  When  any  encomium  was  bestowed  upon  the  youth, 
Quintana  would  always  say,  “Donoso  is  a  diamond;”  and  he 
fully  justified  this  eulogium.  The  result  more  than  satisfied  the 
general  expectation,  and  it  was  admitted  by  all  that  he  might 
accomplish  still  greater  things  in  an  enlarged  sphere  of  action. 
Among  those  who  always  attended  his  lectures  was  a  young  girl. 
Her  black  eyes  were  continually  fixed  upon  the  animated  coun¬ 
tenance  of  the  orator  ;  and  she  regarded  his  every  movement  with 
the  most  intense  admiration.  Their  hearts  were  touched,  and 
they  were  married.  Scarcely  had  Donoso  enjoyed  “the  only  true 
felicity  of  life,”  and  it  seemed  as  if  his  happiness  was  assured, 
when  the  two  beings  who  had  reconsecrated  to  him  their  lives, 
a  beloved  wife  and  infant  daughter,  were  both  laid  in  the  tomb; 
as  if  he  was  only  permitted  this  affection  in  order  to  make  an 
offering  of  it  to  God. 

He  did  not  endure  this  first  misfortune  wffth  resignation,  and  it 
was  therefore  terrible.  Educated  in  an  age  which,  if  not  alto¬ 
gether  infidel,  was  at  least  so  in  ideas,  he  had  imbibed  that  indif¬ 
ference,  which  is  the  greatest  scourge  of  modern  times.  Although 
he  was  a  philosophist  from  his  earliest  years,  yet  he  was  never 
irreligious;  but  divine  love  and  a  pious  fervor  were  wanting;  and 
religion  is  not  an  effect  of  human  reason,  but  must  come  from  the 
heart,  which  receives  it  through  faith.  Custom  alone,  not  con¬ 
science,  held  him  in  union  with  the  Church,  and  caused  him  to 
practice  its  duties,  from  which  he  was  soon  to  experience  such 
great  blessings.  Notwithstanding  this  religious  apathy,  he  always 


NOTICE  OF  THE  AUTHOR. 


XI 


continued  to  fulfill  his  obligations  as  a  Catholic  ;  nor  had  he  any 
painful  recollections  to  lament,  nor  need  to  blush  on  account  of 
a  single  action,  which  could  embitter  the  present  or  darken  the 
future. 

When  Ferdinand  VII.,  replaced  upon  the  throne  by  a  foreign 
army,  wished,  to  the  prejudice  of  the  heir-apparent,  Don  Carlos, 
to  favor  his  daughter  Isabella,  who,  by  the  Salic  law  of  Philip  V., 
could  not  have  succeeded  him,  Donoso  caused  a  learned  and  elo¬ 
quent  memorial  to  be  presented  to  the  king,  in  which  he  sus¬ 
tained  the  cause  of  the  Infanta,  and  appealed  to  the  love  of  a 
husband  and  father.  The  king  wished  to  recompense  him,  and 
in  1832  conferred  upon  him  a  distinguished  place  in  the  ministry 
of  “Grace  and  Justice.”  He  was  in  this  way,  at  twenty-three 
years  of  age,  throwm  into  political  life,  which  he  was  destined 
never  to  abandon. 

Ferdinand  VII.  died,  but  Donoso  continued  to  support  Isabella 
and  her  mother,  Maria  Christina.  Spain  loved  her  queens,  and 
the  memory  of  Isabella  the  Catholic,  “the  most  illustrious  being 
who  had  ever  reigned  over  men,”  was  affectionately  cherished  in 
popular  traditions.  Donoso  considered  that  this  sentiment  was 
alone  capable  of  saving  his  country,  of  delivering  it  from  anarchy, 
of  securing  to  it,  not  merely  the  order  established  in  a  beleaguered 
city,  but  the  assured  tranquillity  of  laws  and  of  a  just  moderation. 
About  this  time  he  was  elected  a  deputy  to  the  Cortes,  and  after¬ 
ward  Secretary  of  the  Council  of  the  Ministry,  under  the  presi¬ 
dency  of  the  famous  Mendizabal,  the  chief  of  the  party  of  reform. 
Donoso  soon  resigned  this  office,  as  he  remained  firm  in  his  prin¬ 
ciples,  which  were  not  those  of  the  ministry;  so  that  he  took  no 
part  whatever  in  the  confiscation  of  the  property  of  the  Church, 
in  the  suppression  of  religious  orders,  or  in  any  of  those  sacri¬ 
legious  excesses  which  seemed  to  renew  the  limes  of  Charles  III. 

The  tribune  and  the  press  still  remained  open  to  him,  and  some¬ 
times  by  means  of  the  one,  sometimes  of  the  other,  he  continued, 


Xll 


NOTICE  OF  TEE  AUTHOR. 


as  a  citizen,  courageously  to  persevere  in  the  vindication  of  the 
opinions  he  had  at  first  embraced.  L’Avvenire,  a  journal  estab¬ 
lished  by  him,  the  Pilota,  the  Corriere  Nazionale,  and  especially 
the  Rivista  di  Madrid ,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  editors,  attest 
his  activity  and  the  superiority  of  his  talents.  He  had  already 
published  his  “Essay  on  European  Diplomacy,  from  the  Revolu¬ 
tion  of  June  to  the  Treaty  of  the  Quadruple  Alliance,”  a  work 
which  reflected  great  honor  on  his  country,  and  in  which  the 
wide  scope  of  his  observation  is  equal  to  the  truth  of  his  applica¬ 
tions.*  It  was  at  that  time  that' he  delivered  a  course  of  lectures 
on  international  law,  in  the  Atheneum  at  Madrid,  a  course  so 
much  the  more  useful,  as  there  no  longer  existed  a  just  public 
opinion,  and  no  one  attempted  to  strengthen  or  confirm  these 
languishing  sentiments. 

In  the  mean  time,  Espartero,  emboldened  by  his  decisive  vic¬ 
tory  over  the  Carlists,  not  only  deprived  Maria  Christina  of  the 
regency,  but  also  of  the  guardianship  of  her  children.  Donoso 
did  not  change  with  this  mutation  of  fortune,  but  continued  un¬ 
ceasingly  to  defend  her,  if  not  as  widow  and  regent,  at  least  as 
mother  and  queen.  His  efforts  were  unsuccessful,  and  he  had 
reason  to  esteem  himself  fortunate  that  this  civic  courage  wras 
not  punished  by  death,  as  was  that  of  his  friend,  Montes  de  Oca. 
Maria  Christina  appointed  him  her  secretary,  and  in  this  capacity 
he  shared  her  exile,  and  made  known  to  all  Europe  the  ingrati¬ 
tude  and  cruelty  of  the  Duke  of  Victoria.  Candidly,  I  do  not 
know,  all  things  considered,  whether  these  representations  were 
just  or  not.  In  1843,  when  the  Marshal  Narvaez  established  a 
conservative  policy,  relying  upon  the  protection  of  France,  (an 
aid  always  injurious  to  the  independence  of  a  people,)  Donoso 
succeeded  in  returning  to  his  country,  and  changed  his  position 
of  secretary  of  the  queen  for  that  of  secretary  and  director  of  the 


*  The  Throne  and  the  Constitution,  of  May  17, 1843. 


NOTICE  OF  THE  AUTHOR. 


Xlll 


studies  of  Queen  Isabella,  whose  majority  had  recently  been  de¬ 
clared.  He  wras,  moreover,  proffered  a  place  in  the  ministry, 
which  he  refused.  He  was  a  man  whose  convictions  were  too 
profound  to  permit  him  to  alter  them  when  placed  in  power ;  and 
men  who  are  incapable  of  change  cannot  long  exercise  an  influ¬ 
ence  over  a  mutable  society. 

At  this  juncture,  Louis  Philippe  made  him  Grand-officer  of  the 
Legion  of  Honor,  and  the  States  of  Castile  conferred  upon  him  a 
title,  by  erecting  his  estate  of  Yaldegamas  into  a  marquisate.  He 
afterward  entered  upon  the  diplomatic  career,  having  been  nom¬ 
inated  minister  plenipotentiary  of  Spain  near  Berlin,  where  he 
was  surprised  by  the  revolution  of  February,  or,  to  speak  more 
correctly,  by  the  great  European  catastrophe  of  1848. 

Donoso  was  now  on  the  verge  of  that  uncertain  epoch  of  human 
life,  having  reached  the  midway  of  the  term  of  years  usually 
granted  by  God  to  man,  when  the  two  periods  of  one’s  existence 
seem  to  be  equally  balanced,  and  it  is  difficult  to  say  whether  the 
culminating  point  is  still  to  be  reached  or  the  descent  has  already 
commenced.  Solemn  hour,  when  the  light  of  day  begins  to  fade, 
but  the  setting  sun  still  preserves  its  radiant  splendor — hour, 
sacred  to  the  past  and  the  future,  when  the  imagination  is  no 
longer  enkindled,  but  the  poetry  of  the  heart  remains.  If  our 
faith  has,  until  then,  been  rather  an  act  of  the  understanding  than 
of  the  affections,  and  we  meet  with  some  disaster  in  such  an  hour, 
we  find  ourselves  suddenly  changed,  a  heavenly  unction  pene¬ 
trates  our  souls,  and  we  approach  the  end  of  life  with  an  increase 
of  strength  and  fervor. 

At  thirty,  Chateaubriand  wept  and  believed;  in  the  death  of 
two  beloved  objects  he  gained  life,  and  from  their  graves  ascended 
those  pious  desires,  through  which  he  acquired  the  gift  of  faith. 
Donoso  loved  at  forty,  and  was  converted.  His  brother  died. 
He  never  alluded  to  this  loss  without  weeping,  and  writing  about 
him  to  an  intimate  friend,  Mr.  Rio,  he  said  that  he  ought  to  ask 


XIV 


NOTICE  OF  THE  AUTHOR. 


pardon  of  God  for  having  so  entirely  loved  a  human  creature. 
At  the  bedside  of  his  dying  brother  he  studied  religion,  and  he 
there  found  in  it  a  virtue  superior  to  all  others,  the  virtue  of  piety. 
Thenceforward  his  life  was  one  of  faith,  love,  and  expiation ;  of 
devotion  to  the  memory  of  his  brother,  and  of  prayer  for  the 
repose  of  his  soul.  Donoso  wept  and  believed. 

In  reply  to  those  who  attributed  this  conversion  to  his  own 
merits  before  God,  he  said :  I  cannot  remember  to  have  merited 
anything ;  but  a  certain  feeling  may  have  caused  me  cheerfully 
to  return  to  God,  for  I  can  never  behold  a  poor  man  at  my  door 
without  thinking  that  I  see  in  him  a  brother.  He  thus  expresses 
himself,  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Alberico  de  Blanche-Ruffin  :  “As  you 
see,  neither  my  understanding  nor  my  reason  have  had  any  part 
whatever  in  my  conversion.  Had  I  depended  upon  my  limited 
talents  or  my  miserable  reason,  I  should  have  descended  into  the 
tomb  without  coming  to  the  knowledge  of  the  true  faith.  The 
mystery  of  my  conversion  (for  in  every  conversion  a  mystery  is 
always  involved)  is  a  mystery  of  love.  I  did  not  love  God ;  he 
wished  me  to  love  him,  and  I  loved  him,  and  was  converted 
through  love.” 

Notwithstanding  his  learning,  Donoso,  when  converted,  entered 
upon  the  path  of  Christian  ignorance,  and  commenced  to  become 
sublime,  by  learning  to  be  as  a  simple  child,  and,  like  the  pilot  of 
Homer,  who  at  times  watched  the  stars,  and  at  times  the  sea, 
Donoso  was  not  so  entirely  absorbed  in  celestial  contemplations 
as  to  neglect  mundane  affairs :  but,  what  is  more  meritorious,  he 
considered  this  life  as  a  necessary  trial.  We  now  behold  him  in 
full  possession  of  truth  and  virtue,  without  being  subjected  to 
incessant  contests,  to  harassing  doubts,  to  cruel  solicitude,  to  all 
of  which  had  been  added  the  difficulty  of  preserving  the  propen¬ 
sities  of  such  a  temperament  as  his  in  perfect  equipoise.  The  works 
of  St.  Teresa  and  those  of  Father  Lewis  of  Grenada,  “the  first 
mystic  in  the  world,”  afforded  nutriment  to  his  own  religious  en- 


NOTICE  OF  THE  AUTHOR. 


XV 


thusiasm,  for  the  activity  of  his  exterior  life  did  not  indicate  how 
great  was  his  love  of  meditation.  About  this  time  he  wrote  from 
Dombenito :  “I  have  never  accomplished  anything,  I  accomplish 
nothing,  nor  sliall  I  ever,  in  all  my  life.  I  am  a  perfect  example 
of  those  men  who  do  nothing ;  I  am  always  reading,  I  propose  to 
act,  and  then  I  never  commence.  Sometimes  I  imagine  myself 
standing  before  God,  and  God  demanding  of  me,  What  hast  thou 
done  ?  and  I  tremble  with  excessive  fear.  I  then  think  that  per¬ 
haps  I  was  destined  for  a  contemplative  life ;  but  these  are  dan¬ 
gerous  illusions  presented  to  my  mind.  The  truth  is,  that  I  am 
a  man  who  has  done  nothing.”  The  simplicity  of  his  faith 
equaled  that  of  the  most  humble  countryman.  Having  learned 
that  a  relic  of  our  Lord  was  preserved  in  the  Church  of  Argen- 
teuil,  he  wished  to  make  a  pilgrimage  thither,  in  order  to  obtain 
of  divine  mercy  the  cure  of  one  of  his  brothers,  wTho  was  sick. 
There  is  such  a  fullness  of  affection  in  those  souls  who  are  inspired 
by  divine  love,  that  they  desire  every  act  and  thought  should  cor¬ 
respond  to  this  love,  and  they  make  of  life  a  continual  sacrifice ; 
and  yet  the  world  considers  them  as  objects  of  insult,  and  takes 
pleasure  in  calling  them  guelji  da  campanile ;  so  that,  in  conse¬ 
quence  of  a  contempt  for  their  example,  truth  is  lost  and  the 
practice  of  virtue  discontinued. 

I  will  only  say  a  few  words  respecting  the  political  opinions  of 
Donoso.  “The  Christian  monarchy,  which  existed  before  the  ab¬ 
solute  monarchy  caused  the  suppression  of  deliberative  assem¬ 
blies,  placed  a  real  and  not  a  revolutionary  limit  to  the  royal  will 
and  then  the  government  was  the  only  social  form  that  wuts  deemed 
necessary,  the  only  expression  of  that  authority  which  proceeded 
from  God.  In  this  appeal  to  the  middle  ages,  to  this  high  Cath¬ 
olic  arbitrament,  to  the  feudal  and  aristocratic  power,  all  the  illus¬ 
trious  men  of  the  theological  school  concur  with  Cort&s,  from 
De  Maistre  to  Balmes,  from  Bonald  to  Canuta.  It  is  a  general 
complaint,  the  w'ant  of  an  age  in  which  faith  existed  and  was 


XVI 


NOTICE  OF  THE  AUTHOR. 


potent  for  good,  “and  in  which  the  rewards  and  punishments  of 
a  future  life  governed  society.”  But  what  is  the  true  Christian 
monarchy,  the  true  Christian  republic  ?  Perhaps  it  is  the  mon¬ 
archy  of  Gregory  VII.,  that  greatest  representative  of  liberalism ! 
But  Donoso  Cortes  does  not  seem  to  think  so,  and  in  this  matter 
many  of  the  theological  school  to  which  he  belongs  disagree  with 
him,  and  justly  so. 

Donoso  had  the  consolation  in  his  dying  moments  to  reflect 
that  “  he  had  never  failed  to  defend  society,  so  cruelly  assailed ; 
and  that  he  had  never  injured  any  one.”* 


*  Ills  words  in  his  Discourse  of  January  4, 1849. 


V 


ESSAY 

ON 


CATHOLICISM,  LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


BOOK  I. 


CHAPTER  I. 

How  every  great  political  question  always  involves  a  great 

theological  question, 

Mr.  Proudhon,  in  his  Confessions  of  a  Revolutionist , 
has  written  these  remarkable  words:  “It  is  surprising 
to  observe  how  constantly  we  find  all  our  political  ques¬ 
tions  complicated  with  theological  questions.”  There  is 
nothing  in  this  to  cause  surprise,  except  it  be  the  sur¬ 
prise  of  Mr.  Proudhon.  Theology  being  the  science  of 
God,  is  the  ocean  which  contains  and  embraces  all  the 
sciences,  as  God  is  the  ocean  in  which  all  things  are 
contained.  All  things  existed,  both  prior  to  and  after 
their  creation,  in  the  divine  mind;  because  as  God  made 
them  out  of  nothing,  so  did  he  form  them  according  to 
a  model  which  existed  in  himself  from  eternity.  All 
things  are  in  God  in  the  profound  manner  in  which 
effects  are  in  their  causes,  consequences  in  their  princi¬ 
ples,  reflections  in  light,  and  forms  in  their  eternal 
exemplars.  In  Him  are  united  the  vastness  of  the  sea, 
the  glory  of  the  fields,  the  harmony  of  the  spheres,  the 

3  (17) 


18 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


grandeur  of  the  universe,  the  splendor  of  the  stars,  and 
the  magnificence  of  the  heavens.  In  Him  are  the  meas¬ 
ure,  weight,  and  number  of  all  things,  and  all  things 
proceed  from  Him  with  number,  weight,  and  measure. 
In  Him  are  the  inviolable  and  sacred  laws  of  being,  and 
every  being  has  its  particular  law.  All  that  lives,  finds 
in  Him  the  laws  of  life;  all  that  vegetates,  the  laws  of 
vegetation ;  all  that  moves,  the  lawrs  of  motion  ;  all 
that  has  feeling,  the  law  of  sensation;  all  that  has  un¬ 
derstanding,  the  lawr  of  intelligence;  and  all  that  has 
liberty,  the  law  of  freedom.  It  may  in  this  sense  be 
affirmed,  without  falling  into  Pantheism,  that  all  things 
are  in  God,  and  God  is  in  all  things.  This  will  serve  to 
explain  how  in  proportion  as  faith  is  impaired  in  this 
world,  truth  is  weakened,  and  how  the  society  that  turns 
its  back  upon  God,  will  find  its  horizon  quickly  envel¬ 
oped  in  frightful  obscurity.  For  this  reason  religion 
has  been  considered  by  all  men,  and  in  all  ages,  as  the 
indestructible  foundation  of  human  society.  Omnis  hu- 
manse  societatis  fundamentum  convellit  qui  religionem 
convellit,  says  Plato  in  book  10  of  his  laws.  According 
to  Xenophon,  (on  Socrates,)  “the  most  pious  cities  and 
nations  have  always  been  the  most  durable,  and  the 
wisest.”  Plutarch  affirms  (contra  Colotes)  “that  it  is 
easier  to  build  a  city  in  the  air  than  to  establish  society 
without  a  belief  in  the  gods.”  Rousseau,  in  his  Social 
Contract ,  book  iv.,  ch.  viii.,  observes,  “that  a  State 
was  never  established  without  religion  as  a  foundation.” 
Voltaire  says,  in  his  Treatise  on  Toleration ,  ch.  xx., 
“that  religion  is,  on  all  accounts,  necessary  wherever 
society  exists.”  All  the  legislation  of  the  ancients 
rests  upon  a  fear  of  the  gods.  Polybius  declares  that 
this  holy  fear  is  always  more  requisite  in  a  free  people 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


19 


than  in  others.  That  Rome  might  be  the  eternal  city, 
Numa  made  it  the  holy  city.  Among  the  nations  of 
antiquity  the  Roman  was  the  greatest,  precisely  because 
it  was  the  most  religious.  Cesar  having  one  day  uttered 
certain  words,  in  open  Senate,  against  the  existence  of 
the  gods,  Cato  and  Cicero  arose  from  their  seats  and 
accused  the  irreverent  youth  of  having  spoken  words 
fatal  to  the  Republic.  It  is  related  of  Fabricius,  a  Ro¬ 
man  captain,  that  having  heard  the  philosopher  Cineas 
ridicule  the  Divinity  in  presence  of  Pyrrhus,  he  pro¬ 
nounced  these  memorable  words:  “May  it  please  the 
gods,  that  our  enemies  follow  this  doctrine  when  they 
make  war  against  the  Republic. ” 

The  decline  of  faith  that  produces  the  decline  of 
truth  does  not  necessarily  cripple,  but  certainly  misleads 
the  human  mind.  God,  who  is  both  compassionate  and 
just,  denies  truth  to  guilty  souls,  but  does  not  deprive 
them  of  life.  He  condemns  them  to  error,  but  not  to 
death.  As  an  evidence  of  this,  every  one  has  witnessed 
those  periods  of  prodigious  incredulity  and  of  highest 
culture  that  have  shone  in  history  with  a  phosphores¬ 
cent  light,  leaving  more  of  a  burning  than  a  luminous 
track  behind  them.  If  we  carefully  contemplate  these 
ages,  we  shall  see  that  their  splendor  is  only  the  inflamed 
glare  of  the  lightning’s  flash.  It  is  evident  that  their 
brightness  is  the  sudden  explosion  of  their  obscure  but 
combustible  materials,  rather  than  the  calm  light  pro¬ 
ceeding  from  purest  regions,  and  serenely  spread  over 
heaven’s  vault  by  the  divine  pencil  of  the  sovereign 
painter. 

What  is  here  said  of  ages  may  also  be  said  of  men. 
The  absence  or  the  possession  of  faith,  the  denial  of  God 
or  the  abandonment  of  truth,  neither  gives  them  under- 


20 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


standing  nor  deprives  them  of  it.  That  of  the  unbeliever 
may  be  of  the  highest  order,  and  that  of  the  believer 
very  limited ;  but  the  greatness  of  the  first  is  that  of  an 
abyss,  while  the  second  has  the  holiness  of  a  tabernacle. 
In  the  first  dwells  error,  in  the  second  truth.  In  the 
abyss  with  error  is  death,  in  the  tabernacle  with  truth 
is  life.  Consequently  there  can  be  no  hope  whatever 
for  those  communities  that  renounce  the  austere  worship 
of  truth  for  the  idolatry  of  the  intellect.  Sophisms 
produce  revolutions,  and  sophists  are  succeeded  by 
hangmen. 

He  possesses  political  truth  who  understands  the 
laws  to  which  governments  are  amenable;  and  he  pos¬ 
sesses  social  truth  who  comprehends  the  laws  to  which 
human  societies  are  answerable.  He  who  knows  God, 
knows  these  laws;  and  he  knows  God  who  listens  to 
what  He  affirms  of  Himself,  and  believes  the  same.  The¬ 
ology  is  the  science  which  has  for  its  object  these  affirm¬ 
ations.  Whence  it  follows  that  every  affirmation  re¬ 
specting  society  or  government,  supposes  an  affirmation 
relative  to  God;  or,  what  is  the  same  thing,  that  every 
political  or  social  truth  necessarily  resolves  itself  into  a 
theological  truth. 

If  everything  is  intelligible  in  God  and  through  God, 
and  theology  is  the  science  of  God,  in  whom  and  by 
whom  everything  is  elucidated,  theology  is  the  universal 
science.  Such  being  the  case,  there  is  nothing  not 
comprised  in  this  science,  which. has  no  plural;  because 
totality,  which  constitutes  it,  has  it  not.  Political  and 
social  sciences  have  no  existence  except  as  arbitrary 
classifications  of  the  human  mind.  Man  in  his  feeble¬ 
ness  classifies  that  which  in  God  is  characterized  by  the 
most  simple  unity.  Thus,  he  distinguishes  political  from 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


21 


social  and  religious  affirmations ;  while  in  God  there  is 
but  one  affirmation,  indivisible  and  supreme.  He  who 
speaks  explicitly  of  what  thing  soever,  and  is  ignorant 
that  he  implicitly  speaks  of  God;  and  who  does  not 
know  when  he  discusses  explicitly  any  science  whatever, 
that  he  implicitly  illustrates  theology,  has  received  from 
God  simply  the  necessary  amount  of  intelligence  to 
constitute  him  a  man.  Theology,  then,  considered  in 
its  highest  acceptation,  is  the  perpetual  object  of  all  the 
sciences,  even  as  God  is  the  perpetual  object  of  human 
speculations. 

Every  word  that  a  man  utters  is  a  recognition  of  the 
Deity,  even  that  which  curses  or  denies  God.  He  who 
rebels  against  God,  and  frantically  exclaims,  “  I  abhor 
thee;  thou  art  not!”  illustrates  a  complete  system  of 
theology,  as  he  does  who  raises  to  Him  a  contrite  heart, 
and  says,  “Lord,  have  mercy  on  thy  servant,  who  adores 
thee.”  The  first  blasphemes  Him  to  His  face,  the  sec¬ 
ond  prays  at  His  feet,  yet  both  acknowledge  Him,  each 
in  his  own  way ;  for  both  pronounce  His  incommunicable 
name. 

In  the  manner  of  pronouncing  this  name  rests  the 
solution  of  the  most  profound  enigmas;  the  vocation  of 
races,  the  providential  mission  of  nations,  the  great  vicis¬ 
situdes  of  history,  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  most  famous 
empires,  their  wars  and  their  conquests,  the  different 
character  of  peoples,  the  physiognomy  of  nations,  and 
their  various  fortunes.  Where  God  is  considered  as  the 
all-pervading  essence,  man,  abandoned  to  silent  contem¬ 
plation,  shuts  out  the  senses  and  lives  as  it  were  in  a 
dream,  fanned  by  fragrant  and  enervating  breezes.  The 
adorer  of  the  infinite  substance  is  condemned  to  a  per¬ 
petual  slavery  and  unlimited  indolence.  For  him  the 

3* 


2*2  ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 

desert  has  something  divine  which  he  finds  not  in  the 
city,  because  it  is  more  silent,  more  solitary,  and  more 
vast;  and  yet  he  will  not  adore  it  as  his  God,  because 
the  desert  is  not  infinite.  The  ocean  would  become  his 
divinity,  because  it  absorbs  all  things,  if  it  were  not  for 
its  strange  commotions  and  noise.  The  sun  which  illu¬ 
minates  the  universe  would  be  worthy  of  his  worship,  if 
the  eye  of  man  did  not  embrace  its  resplendent  disk. 
The  firmament  would  be  his  god,  if  it  were  not  dotted  by 
the  sparkling  luminaries ;  or  night  would  be  his  god  but 
for  its  mysterious  sounds.  His  god  is  all  these  things 
united — immensity,  obscurity,  immobility,  silence.  There 
we  behold  suddenly  arise,  through  the  hidden  impulsion 
of  a  powerful  growth,  colossal  and  barbarous  empires, 
that  as  suddenly  fall  with  a  crash,  overwhelmed  by  the 
weight  of  other  empires  more  gigantic,  and  leaving  no 
trace  either  of  their  rise  or  fall.  Their  armies  are 
undisciplined  and  the  people  unintelligent.  The  army 
is  chiefly  characterized  by  the  number  of  men  that  com¬ 
pose  it.  There  war  has  less  for  its  aim  to  prove  the 
heroism  of  a  nation  than  its  populousness,  and  even  vic¬ 
tory  would  not  establish  a  legal  title,  except  that  victory 
supposes  strength,  and  strength  is  considered  an  attri¬ 
bute  of  the  divinity. 

Thus  we  see  that  the  Hindoo  theology  and  history 
are  identical.  Turning  our  eyes  westward  we  behold, 
at  the  very  portals,  a  region  which  ushers  in  a  new 
world  in  politics,  morals,  and  theology.  The  Oriental 
deity  of  infinitude  is  here  decomposed,  and  loses  its 
formidable  and  austere  characteristics :  its  unity  is 
multitude.  There  the  deity  was  motionless;  here  mul¬ 
titude  displays  an  unceasing  activity.  There  silence 
reigned;  here  everything  is  sound,  cadence,  and  har- 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


23 


mony.  The  god  of  the  East  extended  through  all  time 
and  filled  all  space;  here  the  family  of  divinities  has  its 
genealogical  tree,  and  is  confined  to  the  summit  of  a 
mountain.  The  deity  of  the  East  dwells  in  an  eternal 
peace;  while  here,  in  the  seat  of  the  gods,  all  is  war, 
tumult,  and  confusion. 

The  political  unity  of  these  nations  undergoes  the 
same  vicissitudes  as  the  religious  unity:  here  each  city 
forms  an  empire;  while  there  all  the  communities  com¬ 
bined  to  form  one.  Among  the  Orientals  we  find  one 
God  and  one  King;  while  in  the  West  we  find  a  repub¬ 
lic  of  Deities  and  a  republic  of  Cities.  In  this  multi¬ 
tude  of  divinities  and  cities  all  is  disorder  and  confusion. 
To  men  is  imputed  something  of  the  heroic  and  heavenly, 
and  to  the  gods  something  of  the  human  and  terrestrial. 
The  gods  accord  to  men  the  intelligence  of  great  things, 
and  the  perception  of  the  beautiful,  and  receive  in  turn 
from  them  their  discords  and  their  vices.  They  have 
illustrious  and  virtuous  men,  and  incestuous  and  adul¬ 
terous  gods.  This  people,  impressionable  and  ardent, 
is  distinguished  for  its  poets  and  artists,  and  is  an  object 
of  wonder  to  the  world.  Life  has  no  charms  for  it,  ex¬ 
cept  as  it  reflects  the  light  of  glory ;  nor  is  death  terri¬ 
ble,  except  in  the  oblivion  that  follows  it.  Utterly 
sensual,  it  values  in  life  only  its  pleasures ;  and  it 
considers  death  as  happy,  when  it  comes  crowned  with 
flowers.  Familiarity  and  affinity  with  its  gods,  make 
it  vain,  capricious,  and  petulant.  Without  a  due  re¬ 
spect  for  the  gods,  it  lacks  dignity  in  its  designs, 
fixedness  of  purpose,  and  stability  of  resolve.  It  re¬ 
gards  the  Oriental  World  as  a  region  overspread  with 
darkness,  and  peopled  with  statues ;  while  the  Orientals, 
contemplating  the  ephemeral  life,  premature  death,  and 


24 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


brief  glory  of  this  people,  consider  it  as  a  nation  of 
pigmies.  For  the  one,  greatness  consists  in  duration; 
for  the  other,  it  is  action.  Thus  Grecian  theology, 
Grecian  history,  and  Grecian  character  are  one  and 
the  same. 

This  phenomenon  is  conspicuous  in  the  history  of  the 
Roman  people.  Their  principal  gods,  of  Etruscan  ori¬ 
gin,  were  Grecian  in  their  quality  of  deities,  and  Ori¬ 
ental  in  so  far  as  Etruscan.  They  were  numerous 
as  the  gods  of  Greece,  and  at  the  same  time  austere 
and  somber  as  the  gods  of  the  East.  Rome  combines 
the  East  and  the  West,  both  in  politics  and  in  religion. 
It  is  a  city  like  that  of  Theseus,  and  an  empire  like  that 
of  Cyrus.  Rome  is  a  type  of  Janus,  being  two-faced, 
and  each  visage  bearing  a  different  aspect.  One  sym¬ 
bolizes  Oriental  duration,  and  the  other  Grecian  ac¬ 
tivity;  possessing  a  mobility  so  great  as  to  reach  the 
confines  of  the  earth,  and  so  prolonged  in  duration  that 
the  world  proclaims  it  eternal.  Chosen  by  the  divine 
counsel  to  prepare  the  way  for  Him  who  was  to  come, 
its  providential  mission  was  to  assimilate  to  itself  all 
theologies,  and  to  rule  over  all  nations.  In  obedience 
to  a  mysterious  influence,  all  the  gods  find  a  place  in 
the  Roman  Capitol,  and  the  awed  nations,  overcome 
with  terror,  lie  humbled  and  prostrate  under  the  Roman 
yoke.  All  the  cities  are  successively  despoiled  of  their 
gods,  and  all  the  gods  are  one  after  the  other  despoiled 
of  their  temples  and  cities.  This  vast  empire  holds  as 
its  own  the  Oriental  legitimacy — multitude  and  strength; 
and  the  legitimacy  of  the  West — intelligence  and  disci¬ 
pline.  For  this  reason  it  subjects  all,  and  none  resist 
it,  or  complain  of  its  crushing  force.  In  the  same  way 
that  its  theology  differs  from,  and  yet  has  something  in 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


25 


common  with,  all  theologies,  so  has  Rome  also  much  that 
is  peculiar  to  herself,  and  much  in  common  with  all  the 
cities  conquered  by  her  arms,  or  obscured  by  her  glory. 
She  has  the  Spartan  severity,  the  Attic  culture,  the  pomp 
of  Memphis,  and  the  grandeur  of  Babylon  and  Nineveh. 
In  order  to  make  a  succinct  proposition,  we  may  indi¬ 
cate  the  Orient  as  the  thesis,  the  West  as  the  antithesis, 
and  Rome  as  the  synthesis.  The  Roman  Empire  repre¬ 
sents  the  absorption  of  the  Oriental  thesis  and  the  West¬ 
ern  antithesis  in  the  Roman  synthesis.  Let  us,  then, 
resolve  this  potent  synthesis  into  its  constituent  ele¬ 
ments,  and  it  will  be  seen  that  there  can  be  no  synthesis 
in  the  political  and  social  order,  without  a  corresponding 
condition  in  the  religious  order.  Both  among  the  Ori¬ 
ental  nations,  the  republics  of  Greece,  and  in  the  Roman 
Empire,  theological  systems  serve  to  elucidate  the  polit¬ 
ical.  Theology  is  the  light  of  history. 

The  Roman  Capitol  could  not  be  despoiled  of  its  mag¬ 
nificence,  except  through  the  destruction  of  the  means 
which  had  enabled  it  to  attain  its  culminating  point. 
No  one  could  establish  his  power  in  Rome  without  the 
permission  of  the  gods,  and  no  one  could  obtain  posses¬ 
sion  of  the  Capitol  without  first  displacing  the  supreme 
god,  Jupiter  Optimus  Maximus.  The  ancients,  who 
had  a  confused  idea  of  the  vital  power  inherent  in  all 
religious  systems,  believed  that  no  city  could  be  con¬ 
quered  so  long  as  it  was  not  abandoned  by  the  national 
deities.  Consequently,  in  all  the  wars  of  city  against 
city,  nation  against  nation,  and  race  against  race,  a  spir¬ 
itual  and  religious  controversy  accompanied  the  material 
and  political  struggle.  The  besieged,  while  making  an 
armed  resistance,  implored  their  gods  not  to  forsake 
them.  The  besiegers,  in  their  turn,  conjured  the  gods, 


26  ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 

with  mysterious  imprecations,  to  desert  the  city.  Woe 
to  that  city  wherein  resounds  the  fearful  cry*  “The 
gods  have  fled — the  gods  have  abandoned  us!”  The 
people  of  Israel  were  invincible  so  long  as  Moses  held 
uplifted  hands  toward  God,  and  could  no  longer  conquer 
when  these  fell  powerless.  Moses  is  a  type  of  the  human 
race,  proclaiming  through  all  ages,  though  under  various 
and  diverse  forms,  the  omnipotence  of  God  and  man’s 
dependence,  the  power  of  religion,  and  the  efficacy  of 
prayer. 

Rome  fell  because  her  gods  succumbed;  her  empire 
was  destroyed  because  her  theology  became  extinct ; 
and  history  thus  plainly  exhibits  the  great  principle 
that  lies  in  the  deepest  recesses  of  the  human  conscience. 
Rome  had  given  to  the  world  her  Cesars  and  her  gods. 
Jupiter  and  Cesar  Augustus  divided  between  them  the 
imperial  authority  over  things  human  and  divine.  Amid 
the  rise  and  fall  of  mighty  empires,  never  since  the  crea¬ 
tion  had  a  power  existed  under  the  sun  of  so  august  a 
majesty,  and  so  surprising  a  grandeur.  All  nations, 
even  the  most  rude  and  unpolished,  had  submitted  to 
her  yoke.  The  world  had  laid  down  its  arms,  and  held 
still. 

About  this  time  was  born  in  the  land  of  prodigies,  in 
an  humble  stable,  and  of  mean  parentage,  a  most  won¬ 
derful  child.  It  was  said  of  Him,  that  at  the  time  of 
his  advent  among  men,  a  new  star  shone  forth  in  the 
heavens;  that,  scarcely  born,  he  was  worshiped  by  shep¬ 
herds  and  kings;  that  heavenly  spirits  had  spoken  to 
men,  and  appeared  in  the  sky;  that  his  mysterious  and 
incommunicable  name  had  been  predicted  from  the  be¬ 
ginning  of  the  world ;  that  the  prophets  had  foretold  his 
reign ;  and  that  even  the  sibyls  had  chanted  his  vie- 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


27 


tories.  These  extraordinary  rumors  having  reached  the 
ears  of  the  servants  of  Cesar,  inspired  them  with  vague 
apprehensions  and  terror.  This  vague  uneasiness  and 
fear  soon  passed,  however,  when  they  saw  the  days  and 
nights  succeed  each  other  as  always,  in  their  perpetual 
rotations,  and  that  the  sun  continued  as  before  to  illu¬ 
mine  the  horizon  of  Rome.  Then  the  imperial  gov¬ 
ernors  said  to  each  other,  Cesar  is  immortal,  and  the 
reports  which  have  reached  us  were  spread  by  timid 
and  idle  people.  The  most  efficacious  remedy  against 
the  prejudices  of  the  vulgar  is  contempt  and  oblivion. 

Thus  passed  away  thirty  years.  But,  at  the  expi¬ 
ration  of  thirty  years,  silly  and  discontented  people 
again  sought,  in  new  and  still  more  surprising  rumors, 
a  fresh  aliment  for  their  stupidity.  They  said  that  the 
child  had  become  a  man,  and,  while  receiving  upon  his 
head  the  waters  of  Jordan,  the  heavens  opened,  and  a 
spirit,  in  shape  like  a  dove,  descended  upon  him,  and 
a  voice  came  from  heaven,  saying,  “  This  is  my  be¬ 
loved  Son.”  In  the  mean  time,  he  who  had  baptized 
him,  a  grave  and  austere  man,  an  inhabitant  of  the 
des^ft,  and  a  man  who  avoided  society,  exhorted  the 
people,  continually  saying,  u Repent  ye;”  and,  point¬ 
ing  to  the  child  made  man,  gave  this  testimony  of  him : 
“This  is  the  Lamb  of  God,  who  taketh  away  the  sins 
of  the  world.” 

There  was  no  doubt  whatever  among  the  strong 
minded  of  the  age  that  all  this  was  simply  a  farce, 
badly  enacted,  and  performed  by  players  of  low  repute. 
The  Jewish  people  had  always  been  prone  to  sorceries 
and  superstitions.  In  past  ages,  and  when  captives  of 
Babylon,  they  turned  their  eyes,  dimmed  with  weeping, 
toward  their  abandoned  temple  and  lost  country;  a  great 


28 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


conqueror,  foretold  by  their  prophets,  had  redeemed 
them  from  captivity,  and  had  restored  to  them  both 
their  country  and  their  temple.  It  was  then  very  nat¬ 
ural  that  this  people  should  expect  a  new  redemption 
and  a  new  redeemer,  who  would  forever  release  them 
from  the  yoke  of  Rome. 

If  this  had  been  all,  unprejudiced  and  intelligent 
people ,  of  whatever  condition  in  life,  would  have  disre¬ 
garded  these  rumors,  as  they  had  done  those  of  the 
past,  depending  upon  time,  that  great  minister  of  human 
reason,  to  dissipate  them.  But  some  inevitable  fate  dis¬ 
posed  otherwise  of  matters,  because  it  came  to  pass  that 
Jesus  (this  was  the  name  of  the  person  of  whom  such 
great  wonders  were  related)  commenced  to  teach  a  new 
doctrine,  and  to  perform  marvelous  works.  His  bold¬ 
ness  or  madness  went  so  far  as  to  call  those  who  were 
hypocritical  and  arrogant  by  their  true  names,  and  to 
designate  as  whitened  sepulchers  those  who  were  so. 
He  counseled  the  poor  to  be  patient,  and  then  scoffing 
at  them,  proclaimed  them  blessed.  In  order  to  punish 
the  rich,  who  despised  him,  he  admonished  them  to  “be 
merciful.”  He  condemned  fornication  and  adultery,«*yet 
he  sat  at  table  with  adulterers  and  fornicators.  Filled 
with  jealousy,  he  affected  contempt  for  the  doctors  and 
wise  men;  and  so  mean  were  his  sentiments  that  he 
found  pleasure  in  conversing  with  common  and  vulgar 
people. 

His  arrogance  was  so  extreme  that  he  styled  himself 
the  Lord  of  Earth,  Sea,  and  Heaven;  and  he  was  so 
consummate  in  the  arts  of  hypocrisy  that  he  washed 
the  feet  of  some  poor  fishermen.  In  spite  of  his  studied 
austerity  of  manner,  he  announced  that  his  doctrine  was 
love,  condemned  the  industry  of  Martha,  and  blessed 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


29 


the  idleness  of  Mary.  He  held  secret  relations  with 
infernal  spirits,  and  bartered  his  soul  for  the  power  of 
working  miracles.  He  was  followed  by  a  crowd  who 
adored  him. 

Notwithstanding  their  good-will,  it  is  plain  that  the 
guardians  of  holy  things  and  of  the  imperial  preroga¬ 
tives  could  no  longer  remain  passive ;  as  they  were  offi¬ 
cially  responsible  for  the  preservation  of  the  majesty 
of  religion  and  the  peace  of  the  empire.  That  which 
chiefly  disturbed  them  was  the  information  they  received 
that  a  great  number  of  people  were  ready  to  proclaim 
him  king  of  the  Jews;  and,  moreover,  that  he  had  an¬ 
nounced  himself  as  the  Son  of  God,  and  intended  to 
dissuade  the  people  from  the  payment  of  the  tribute. 

He  who  had  said  such  things  and  performed  such  works 
could  not  but  die  by  the  hands  of  the  people.  It  was 
only  necessary  to  explain  and  substantiate  the  charges 
against  him.  When  he  was  questioned  concerning  the 
tributes,  he  made  the  celebrated  answer  'which  discon¬ 
certed  the  inquisitor:  “Render  unto  Cesar  the  things 
which  are  Cesar’s,  and  unto  God  the  things  which  are 
God’s;”  which  was  equivalent  to  saying:  “I  leave  unto 
you  Cesar,  and  I  take  away  from  you  Jupiter.”  When 
questioned  by  Pilate  and  the  high  priest,  he  repeated 
the  assertion  that  he  was  the  Son  of  God,  and  that  his 
reign  was  not  of  this  world.  Then  Caiphas  said  :  “This 
man  is  guilty,  and  must  die;”  but  Pilate,  on  the  con¬ 
trary,  said:  “Liberate  this  man,  for  he  is  innocent.” 

Caiphas  viewed  the  matter  in  its  religious  aspect  as 
high  priest;  Pilate  considered  the  subject  in  its  political 
bearings  as  a  laic.  Pilate  could  not  understand  the 
connection  between  the  State  and  religion,  between 
Cesar  and  Jupiter,  between  politics  and  theology. 

4 


30 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


Caiphas,  however,  judged  that  the  introduction  of  a 
new  religion  would  overturn  the  government;  that  a 
new  God  would  dethrone  Cesar;  and  that  the  theologi¬ 
cal  question  involved  the  political.  The  multitude  in¬ 
stinctively  thought  as  Caiphas  did,  and  with  rude  clamors 
accused  Pilate  of  being  an  enemy  of  Tiberius.  Such 
was  then  the  condition  of  affairs. 

Pilate,  the  immortal  type  of  corrupt  judges,  in  his 
timidity  sacrificed  Jesus,  and  delivered  him  up  to  the 
furious  populace,  thinking  to  absolve  his  conscience  by 
the  washing  his  hands  of  it.  The  Son  of  God  was  cru¬ 
cified,  reviled,  and  derided.  Then  he  was  assailed  by 
the  rich  and  the  poor,  by  the  hypocritical  and  the  proud, 
by  the  priests  and  the  learned,  by  women  of  bad  repute 
and  men  of  evil  conscience,  the  adulterers  and  fornica¬ 
tors.  Jesus  expired  on  the  cross  while  praying  for  his 
enemies  and  commending  his  soul  to  his  Father. 

For  a  time  tranquillity  was  restored,  but  soon  after¬ 
ward  events  occurred  never  before  witnessed  by  men: 
the  abomination  of  desolation  in  the  temple,  the  mothers 
of  Sion  cursing  their  fecundity,  the  sepulchers  burst 
asunder,  Jerusalem  depopulated,  its  walls  leveled  to  the 
ground,  its  inhabitants  dispersed  throughout  the  earth, 
and  the  world  in  arms;  the  eagles  of  Rome  piercing 
the  air  with  their  cries  of  terror,  Rome  despoiled  of 
her  Cesars  and  her  gods,  the  cities  laid  waste  and  the 
deserts  peopled ;  men  clothed  in  skins,  and  who  could 
not  read,  governing  the  nations,  and  multitudes  obeying 
that  voice  from  Jordan  which  had  said,  “Repent  ye;” 
and  that  other  voice  which  cried  out,  “Whosoever  will 
come  after  me,  let  him  deny  himself,  and  take  up  his 
cross  and  follow  me;”  and  kings  adoring  the  cross, 
which  was  everywhere  erected. 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


31 


What  was  the  cause  of  so  great  changes  and  revolu¬ 
tions?  Why  so  vast  a  desolation,  and  so  universal  a 
cataclysm  ?  What  did  it  mean  ?  What  had  happened  ? 
Nothing,  except  that  some  theologians  went  about  pro¬ 
claiming  a  new  theology  throughout  the  world. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Of  society  as  regulated  by  Catholic  theology. 

This  new  theology  is  called  Catholicism.  Catholi¬ 
cism  is  a  complete  system  of  civilization.  It  is  so  com¬ 
plete  that  in  its  immensity  it  includes  everything — the 
science  of  God,  of  angels,  of  the  universe,  and  of  men. 
The  unbeliever  is  astonished  at  the  incredible  extrav¬ 
agance  of  its  claims,  and  the  believer  at  its  surprising 
grandeur.  If  any  one  look  upon  it  derisively,  men  are 
even  more  surprised  at  this  stupid  indifference  than  at 
its  colossal  grandeur  and  wonderful  extravagance,  and 
they  exclaim,  “Let  the  insensate  pass  by.” 

During  nineteen  centuries  the  world  has  frequented 
the  schools  of  Catholic  theologians  and  doctors;  and 
yet,  notwithstanding  all  this  diligent  investigation,  no 
one  has  explored  the  depths  of  Catholic  science.  In 
this  school  is  taught  how  and  when  events  and  nations 
have  had  their  rise  and  fall,  and  by  it  are  disclosed  the 
wonderful  secrets,  always  concealed  from  the  specula¬ 
tions  of  heathen  philosophers  and  the  comprehension 
of  their  learned  men.  There  stand  revealed  the  final 
causes  of  all  things,  the  adjustment  of  human  events, 


32  ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 

the  nature  of  bodies  and  that  of  spirits,  by  what  ways 
men  proceed,  the  limit  of  their  progression,  from  whence 
they  came,  the  mystery  of  their  peregrination,  the  course 
of  their  journey,  the  enigma  of  their  sorrows,  the  secret 
of  life,  and  the  arcana  of  death.  Children  who  are 
nourished  at  this  fruitful  source  know  more  to-day  than 
did  Aristotle  and  Plato,  the  two  luminaries  of  Athens. 
And  yet  the  doctors  who  teach  such  wonderful  things,  and 
who  attain  heights  so  great,  have  received  humility  as 
an  inheritance.  It  has  been  alone  permitted  to  Cathol¬ 
icism  to  offer  to  the  world  the  spectacle,  before  then 
reserved  for  the  angels,  of  science  deposed  by  humility 
in  the  presence  of  God. 

This  theology  is  called  Catholic  because  it  is  univer¬ 
sal;  and  it  is  so  in  every  sense,  under  every  aspect,  and 
in  all  respects.  It  is  universal,  because  it  includes  the 
substance  of  all  truth.  It  is  so  because  in  its  very 
nature  it  is  destined  to  extend  everywhere,  and  to  last 
through  all  time.  It  is  universal  in  its  God  and  in  its 
dogmas. 

God  was  unity  in  India,  dualism  in  Persia,  diversity 
in  Greece,  multitude  at  Rome.  The  living  God  is  one 
in  substance  as  the  Indian;  multiple  in  person  as  the 
Persian;  diverse  in  his  attributes  as  the  Grecian;  and 
through  the  great  number  of  spirits  (gods)  that  serve 
him,  he  is  multitudinous  as  were  the  Roman  deities. 
He  is  the  universal  cause,  the  infinite  and  impalpable 
essence,  the  eternal  repose  and  yet  the  author  of  all 
movements,  the  supreme  intelligence,  the  sovereign  will. 
He  contains  all  things,  and  nothing  contains  him.  It  is 
he  who  formed  all  things  out  of  nothing,  who  maintains 
each  thing  in  its  entity,  and  who  governs  things  angeli¬ 
cal,  human,  and  infernal.  He  is  most  merciful,  most 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


just,  most  loving,  most  strong,  most  powerful,  most 
pure,  most  prudent,  most  beautiful,  most  wise.  The 
East  knows  his  voice,  the  West  obeys  him,  the  South 
venerates  him,  the  North  acknowledges  him.  His  word 
fills  creation,  the  stars  stand  as  his  sentinels,  the  sera¬ 
phim  reflect  his  glory  from  their  glowing  wings,  the 
heavens  are  his  throne,  and  he  holds  suspended  in  his 
hand  the  fullness  of  the  earth.  When,  in  the  fulfillment 
of  prophecy,  the  Catholic  God  appeared,  it  was  the  sig¬ 
nal  for  the  downfall  of  all  the  idols  made  by  men.  Nor 
could  it  have  been  otherwise,  inasmuch  as  all  these 
human  theologies  were  only  mutilated  fragments  of  the 
Catholic  theology ;  and  the  gods  of  various  nations  were 
merely  the  deification  of  some  of  the  essential  properties 
of  the  true  God,  the  God  of  the  Bible. 

Catholicism  controls  the  body,  the  senses,  and  the 
soul  of  man.  Its  dogmatic  theology  teaches  men  what 
they  must  believe;  its  ethics  instruct  them  as  to  the 
duties  of  life,  while  its  mystic  theologians,  soaring  still 
higher,  teach  men  to  rise  on  the  wings  of  prayer,  to 
ascend  the  effulgent  steps  of  the  ladder  of  Jacob,  on 
which  God  descends  to  the  earth  and  men  ascend  to 
heaven,  until  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  men  and  angels, 
alike  glow  in  the  fire  of  divine  love. 

Through  Catholicism  man  recognized  the  law  of  order, 
and  through  man  this  order  entered  into  society.  The 
redemption  regained  for  the  moral  world  the  laws  which 
it  had  lost  through  prevarication  and  sin.  Catholic 
dogma  became  the  criterion  for  the  sciences,  Catholic 
ethics  the  guide  for  human  actions,  and  Catholic  charity 
the  standard  for  the  affections.  Human  conscience, 
freed  from  the  corrosive  action  of  error  and  sin,  was 
thus  enlightened  in  its  interior,  as  in  its  exterior  dark- 

4* 


34 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


ness,  and,  guided  by  the  light  of  these  three  criterions, 
was  restored  to  the  felicity  lost  innocence. 

Order  was  thus  tr-  .rcted  from  the  religious  into 
the  moral  world,  and  passed  from  the  moral  into  the 
political  world.  The  Catholic  God,  the  creator  and  pre¬ 
server  of  the  universe,  subjects  all  things  to  the  laws  of 
his  Providence,  and  governs  them  by  his  vicars.  St. 
Paul  says  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  chap,  xiii.:  uNon 
est  potestas  nisi  a  Deo;'  and  Solomon  has  written  in 
the  Book  of  Proverbs,  chap.  viii.  v.  15:  “ Per  me  reges 
regnant ,  et  legum  conditores  justa  decernunt .”  The 
authority  exercised  by  his  vicars  is  holy,  chiefly  on  ac¬ 
count  of  what  it  possesses  extrinsic  to  them ;  that  is  to 
say,  it  is  divine.  The  idea  of  authority  is  of  Catholic 
origin.  The  rulers  over  the  nations  of  antiquity  placed 
their  right  of  supremacy  on  human  foundations;  they 
governed  for  themselves,  and  they  governed  by  force. 
The  Catholic  rulers  did  not  claim  to  exercise  authority 
through  any  inherent  right,  but  only  as  the  delegated 
agents  of  God,  and  as  the  servants  of  the  people.  When 
man  became  the  child  of  God,  then  he  ceased  to  be  the 
slave  of  man.  There  is  nothing  more  solemn,  more  im¬ 
pressive,  and  at  the  same  time  more  respectable,  than 
the  words  which  the  Church  addressed  to  Christian 
princes  at  their  consecration :  “  Receive  this  scepter  as 
an  emblem  of  the  sacred  power  confided  to  you  in  order 
that  you  may  protect  the  weak,  sustain  the  wavering, 
correct  the  vicious,  and  conduct  the  good  in  the  way  of 
salvation.  Receive  this  scepter  as  the  rule  of  divine 
justice,  which  upholds  the  good  and  punishes  the  wicked; 
learn  by  it  to  love  justice,  and  to  abhor  iniquity.”  These 
words  are  in  perfect  consonance  with  the  idea  of  legiti¬ 
mate  authority  as  revealed  to  the  world  by  our  Lord 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


35 


Jesus  Christ :  “ Scitis  quia  hi ,  qui  videntur  principari 
gentibus ,  dominantur  eis;  et  principes  eorum  potesta- 
tem  habent  ipsorum.  Non  itk  -  '  vsiutem  in  vobis ,  sed  qui - 
cumque  voluer  it  fieri  major ,  erit  vester  minister:  et  qui - 
cumque  voluerit  in  vobis  primus  esse ,  erit  omnium 
servus.  Nam  et  Filius  liominis  non  venit  ut  ministrare - 
ei,  sed  ut  ministraret ,  e?  daret  animamsuam  redemp- 
tionem  pro  multis 

People  and  rulers  alike  gained  by  this  happy  revolu¬ 
tion.  The  latter,  because  their  former  power  only  ex¬ 
tended  over  the  bodies  of  men,  and  they  had  reigned  by 
the  right  of  force;  while  now  they  exercised  a  lawful 
authority  over  both  bodies  and  minds.  The  former 
gained,  because  obedience  to  God  is  preferable  to  obe¬ 
dience  to  man,  and  because  a  willing  compliance  is  bet¬ 
ter  than  an  imposed  consent;  and  this  proves  that  the 
results  of  this  revolution  were  more  favorable  for  the 
people  than  for  their  rulers ;  for  while  princes,  by  the 
very  act  of  governing  in  the  name  of  God,  represented 
humanity  as  impotent  to  constitute  a  legitimate  author¬ 
ity  of  itself,  and  in  its  own  name,  the  people,  who  only 
submitted  to  their  princes  in  obedience  to  the  divine 
command,  became  the  representatives  of  the  highest 
and  the  most  glorious  of  human  prerogatives,  that  of 
submitting  to  no  yoke  except  the  divine  authority. 
This  serves  to  explain,  on  the  one  hand,  the  singular 
modesty  for  which  those  happy  princes  are  eminent  in 
history,  whom  men  call  great,  and  the  Church  holy; 
and,  on  the  other  hand,  the  singular  dignity  and  eleva¬ 
tion  for  which  truly  Catholic  nations  are  conspicuous. 
A  voice  of  peace,  consolation,  and  mercy  had  been 


*  Mark,  x.  42-45. 


36 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


heard  throughout  the  world,  and  had  penetrated  deeply 
into  the  human  conscience;  and  this  voice  taught  the 
nations,  that  those  of  low  and  mean  condition  are  so 
placed,  in  order  to  be  cared  for  on  account  of  their 
necessities,  and  that  the  rich  and  great  are  born  to 
serve  others,  because  they  are  great  and  rich.  Cathol¬ 
icism,  in  deifying  authority,  sanctified  obedience;  and, 
in  deifying  the  one  and  sanctifying  the  other,  con¬ 
demned  pride  in  its  most  terrible  manifestations,  the 
spirit  of  domination  and  that  of  rebellion.  Two  things 
are  entirely  impossible  in  a  truly  Catholic  society,  des¬ 
potism  and  revolutions.  Rousseau,  who  was  sometimes 
capable  of  sudden  and  great  inspirations,  has  written 
these  remarkable  words:  “The  rulers  of  modern  times 
are  undoubtedly  indebted  to  Christianity  both  for  the 
stability  of  their  authority  and  the  less  frequent  re¬ 
currence  of  revolutions.  Nor  has  its  influence  here 
ceased,  for,  acting  upon  the  rulers  themselves,  it  has 
made  them  more  humane.  In  order  to  be  convinced  of 
this,  one  has  only  to  compare  them  with  the  rulers  of 
ancient  times.”*  And  Montesquieu  has  said:  “We  are 
undoubtedly  indebted  to  Christianity  for  the  public  law 
recognized  in  peace  and  respected  by  nations  during 
time  of  war,  and  for  whose  benefits  we  can  never  be 
sufficiently  grateful.  ”f 

The  same  God,  who  is  the  author  and  governor  of 
civil  society,  has  also  created  and  regulated  domestic 
society.  Placed  in  the  most  hidden,  the  highest,  the 
purest,  and  the  brightest  of  the  celestial  regions,  is  a 
tabernacle,  which  is  inaccessible  even  to  the  choirs  of 


*  Emile,  vol.  i.  ch.  iv. 
f  Spirit  of  Laws,  b.  iii.  ch.  iii. 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


37 


the  angels.  In  this  unapproachable  tabernacle  is  per¬ 
petually  enacted  the  prodigy  of  prodigies,  and  the  mys¬ 
tery  of  mysteries.  There  dwells  the  Catholic  God,  one 
and  triune:  one  in  essence,  three  in  person.  The  Son 
is  coeternal  with  and  engendered  by  the  Father;  and 
the  Holy  Ghost  is  coeternal  with  and  proceeds  from  the 
Father  and  the  Son  ;  and  the  Holy  Ghost  is  God,  and 
the  Son  is  God,  and  the  Father  is  God;  and  God  has 
no  plural,  because  there  is  only  one  God,  three  in  per¬ 
son  and  one  in  substance.  The  Holy  Ghost  is  God  even 
as  the  Father  is  God,  but  He  is  not  the  Father:  He  is 
God  even  as  the  Son  is  God,  but  He  is  not  the  Son. 
The  Son  is  God  even  as  the  Holy  Ghost  is  God,  but  He 
is  not  the  Holy  Ghost;  He  is  God  even  as  the  Father  is 
God,  but  He  is  not  the  Father.  The  Father  is  God 
even  as  the  Son  is  God,  but  He  is  not  the  Son ;  He  is 
God  even  as  the  Holy  Ghost  is  God,  but  He  is  not  the 
Holy  Ghost.  The  Father  is  omnipotence;  the  Son  is 
wisdom;  the  Holy  Ghost  is  love;  and  the  Father,  and 
the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  are  infinite  love,  supreme 
power,  and  perfect  wisdom.  There  unity,  expanding 
perpetually,  begets  variety,  and  variety  in  self-conden¬ 
sation  is  perpetually  resolved  into  unity.  God  is  thesis, 
antithesis,  and  synthesis;  and  He  is  the  supreme  thesis, 
the  perfect  antithesis,  the  infinite  synthesis.  Because 
He  is  one,  He  is  God ;  because  He  is  God,  He  is  per¬ 
fect  ;  because  He  is  perfect,  He  is  most  fruitful ;  be¬ 
cause  He  is  most  fruitful,  He  is  diversity;  because  He  is 
diversity,  He  is  the  family.  In  his  essence  exist,  in 
an  inexpressible  and  incomprehensible  manner,  the  laws 
of  creation,  and  the  exemplars  of  all  things.  Every¬ 
thing  has  been  made  in  his  image,  and,  therefore,  crea¬ 
tion  is  one  and  many.  He  is  the  universal  word,  which 


38 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


implies  unity  and  variety  combined  in  one.  Man  was 
made  by  God,  and  in  his  image,  and  not  only  in  his 
image,  but  also  in  his  likeness ;  and  for  this  reason  man 
is  one  in  essence,  and  represents  a  sort  of  trinity  of  per¬ 
sons.  Eve  proceeds  from  Adam,  Abel  is  begotten  by 
Adam  and  Eve,  and  Adam,  Abel,  and  Eve  are  the  same 
thing:  they  are  man,  they  are  human  nature.  Adam 
is  man  the  father,  Eve  is  man  the  woman,  Abel  is  man 
the  son.  Eve  is  man  as  Adam,  but  she  is  not  the  father; 
she  is  man  as  Abel,  but  she  is  not  the  son.  Adam  is 
man  as  Abel  without  being  the  son,  and  as  Eve  without 
being  the  woman.  Abel  is  man  as  Eve  without  being 
the  woman,  and  as  Adam  without  being  the  father. 

All  these  names  are  divine,  even  as  the  functions 
which  they  signify  are  divine.  The  idea  of  paternity, 
the  foundation  of  the  family,  could  not  have  had  its 
origin  in  the  human  mind.  No  fundamental  differences 
exist,  in  the  relation  between  father  and  son,  of  suffi¬ 
cient  importance  to  constitute  in  themselves  a  right. 
Priority  is  simply  a  fact,  and  nothing  more ;  and  the 
same  thing  may  be  said  of  power;  and  both  united  can¬ 
not  of  themselves  make  the  right  of  paternity,  although 
they  may  originate  another  fact,  that  of  servitude.  This 
fact  supposed,  the  proper  name  of  father  is  master ,  as 
that  of  son  is  slave.  This  truth,  which  reason  suggests 
to  us,  is  confirmed  by  history.  Among  those  nations 
who  have  forgotten  the  great  biblical  traditions,  the  title 
of  paternity  has  ever  been  but  the  synonym  for  domestic 
tyranny.  If  there  could  have  existed  a  nation  forgetful, 
on  the  one  hand,  of  those  great  traditions,  and  on  the 
other  neglecting  the  worship  of  material  power,  among 
this  people  the  fathers  and  sons  would  have  been,  and 
would  have  called  themselves,  brothers.  Paternity  comes 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


39 


from  God,  and  can  alone  exist  through  him,  either  in 
name  or  in  reality.  Had  God  permitted  an  entire  ob¬ 
livion  of  all  paradisiacal  traditions,  mankind  would  have 
lost  even  the  name  of  this  institution. 

The  family  relation  is  divine  in  its  institution  and  in 
its  nature,  and  has  everywhere  shared  the  vicissitudes 
of  Catholic  civilization;  and  it  is  very  certain  that  the 
purity  or  the  corruption  of  the  first  is  invariably  an 
infallible  symptom  of  a  corresponding  condition  of  the 
second;  as  the  history  of  the  various  vicissitudes  and 
changes  of  the  latter  becomes  equally  the  history  of 
similar  alternations  in  the  former. 

In  Catholic  ages,  the  family  relation  tends  to  the  high¬ 
est  degree  of  excellence;  its  human  element  is  spiritual¬ 
ized,  and  the  cloister  takes  the  place  of  the  domestic 
circle.  While  in  the  domestic  life  children  reverently 
submit  to  their  father  and  mother,  the  inmates  of  clois¬ 
ters,  with  a  still  greater  reverence  and  submission,  bathe 
with  their  tears  the  sacred  feet  of  a  better  Father,  and 
the  holy  habit  of  a  more  tender  mother.  When  Catho¬ 
lic  civilization  is  no  longer  in  the  ascendant  and  begins 
to  decline,  the  family  relation  immediately  becomes  im¬ 
paired,  its  constitution  vitiated,  its  elements  disunited, 
and  all  its  ties  enfeebled.  The  father  and  mother  whom 
God  had  united  in  the  bonds  of  affection,  substitute  for 
this  sacred  tie  a  severe  formality;  while  the  children 
lose  that  filial  reverence  enjoined  upon  them  by  God, 
and  a  sacrilegious  familiarity  usurps  its  place.  The  ties 
which  unite  the  family  are  loosened,  debased,  and  pro¬ 
faned.  Finally,  they  become  obliterated,  the  family 
disperses,  and  is  lost  in  the  circles  of  the  clubs  and 
places  of  amusement. 

The  history  of  the  family  may  be  traced  in  a  few 


40 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


words.  The  divine  family  is  the  exemplar  and  model 
of  the  human  family,  and  all  its  persons  are  eternal. 
The  spiritual  human  family,  which  most  closely  ap¬ 
proaches  the  divine  in  perfection,  exists  through  all 
time.  Between  the  father  and  mother  in  the  natural 
human  family  the  tie  lasts  during  life ;  and  between 
them  and  their  children  it  is  prolonged  many  years. 
But  in  the  human  anti-Catholic  family  the  relation  be¬ 
tween  the  father  and  mother  lasts  only  some  years ; 
between  them  and  the  children  only  some  months ;  in 
the  artificial  family  of  clubs  only  a  day;  and  in  that  of 
places  of  amusement  but  for  a  moment. 

In  this,  as  in  many  other  things,  duration  is  the  meas¬ 
ure  of  perfection.  Between  the  divine  family  and  the 
human  family  of  the  cloister,  we  find  the  same  propor¬ 
tion  as  between  time  and  eternity.  When  we  compare 
the  spiritual  family  of  the  cloister,  -which  is  the  most 
perfect  human  type,  and  the  sensual  life  of  the  clubs, 
wdiich  is  the  most  imperfect,  we  again  find  the  same 
proportion,  as  between  the  brevity  of  a  moment  and  the 
immensity  of  all  time. 


t 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


41 


CHAPTER  III. 

Society  as  regulated  by  the  Catholic  Church. 

A  criterion  for  the  sciences,  for  the  affections,  and 
for  human  actions  being  fixed  on  the  one  hand,  and  on 
the  other  political  authority  being  established  for  soci¬ 
ety,  and  domestic  authority  for  the  family,  it  was  neces¬ 
sary  to  establish  another  authority  placed  above  all 
human  standards,  as  the  infallible  exponent  of  all 
dogmas,  the  august  depository  of  all  criterions,  which 
should  be  at  the  same  time  sacred  and  sanctifying;  the 
word  of  God  incarnate  in  the  world,  the  light  of  God 
reflected  in  all  directions,  the  divine  charity  inflaming 
all  souls;  an  authority  which  would  accumulate  the  in¬ 
finite  treasures  of  heavenly  favors  in  the  highest  and 
most  hidden  tabernacle,  in  order  to  spread  them  over 
the  world;  which  would  be  a  place  of  refuge  for  sinful 
men,  the  refreshment  of  wearied  souls,  a  source  of  living 
waters  for  the  thirsty,  bread  of  eternal  life  for  the  hun¬ 
gry,  a  light  to  the  ignorant,  and  a  guide  to  the  wan¬ 
derer;  an  authority  which  would  admonish  and  instruct 
the  powerful  and  protect  and  cherish  the  poor ;  an  author¬ 
ity  so  elevated  as  to  command  all,  and  based  upon  a 
rock  too  firm  to  be  moved  by  the  stormy  waves  of  life’s 
restless  ocean;  an  authority  which,  being  founded  on 
God,  could  not  be  subjected  to  the  fluctuations  incident 
to  all  human  events,  and  which  would  be  ever  ancient 
and  ever  new,  duration  and  progress,  and  under  the 
especial  protection  of  God. 


42 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


This  sovereign,  infallible  authority,  created  for  eter¬ 
nity,  and  in  which  God  is  eternally  pleased,  is  the  holy 
Catholic,  apostolic,  and  Roman  Church;  the  mystical 
body  of  our  Lord,  blessed  spouse  of  the  Word,  whose 
teachings  to  the  world  are  the  direct  inspirations  of  the 
Holy  Ghost;  and  which,  being  placed  as  it  were  between 
heaven  and  earth,  exchanges  the  prayers  of  her  chil¬ 
dren  for  celestial  gifts,  and  unceasingly  offers  to  the 
Father,  for  the  salvation  of  the  world,  the  most  pre¬ 
cious  blood  of  the  Son,  as  a  perpetual  sacrifice  and  a 
most  perfect  holocaust. 

It  would  not  be  in  accordance  with  the  infinite  wis¬ 
dom  of  God,  who  does  all  things  in  a  complete  and  per¬ 
fect  manner,  to  give  the  truth  to  the  world,  and  then, 
re-entering  into  an  eternal  repose,  leave  it  exposed  to 
the  inroads  of  time,  and  subjected  to  the  presumptuous 
disputes  of  men.  Hence  he  conceived  from  all  eternity 
the  idea  of  his  Church,  which  shone  forth  in  the  world, 
in  the  plenitude  of  time,  resplendent  with  that  high 
perfection  and  sovereign  beauty  that  always  exist  in 
the  divine  mind.  Since  then,  placed  on  a  rocky  emi¬ 
nence  in  the  tempestuous  sea  of  life,  she  stands  a  lu¬ 
minous  beacon  to  the  mariner.  She  knows  in  what 
consists  our  safety  and  in  what  our  danger,  our  first  be¬ 
ginning  and  our  last  end;  what  will  cause  the  salvation 
and  what  the  condemnation  of  mankind;  and  she  alone 
knows  it.  The  only  guide  of  souls,  the  sole  illuminator 
of  minds,  the  sole  director  of  the  will,  the  sole  stimula¬ 
tor  and  purifier  of  the  affections,  she  moves  hearts,  and 
moves  them  by  the  grace  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  In  her 
is  neither  sin,  error,  nor  weakness;  no  stain  rests  on  her 
robe;  for  her  tribulations  are  triumphs,  and  the  fury  of 
the  tempest  but  serves  to  lead  her  into  a  secure  harbor. 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM.  43 

All  in  her  is  spiritual,  supernatural,  and  miraculous. 
She  is  spiritual,  because  her  sway  is  over  the  mind,  and 
her  weapons  of  defense  and  of  victory  are  spiritual; 
she  is  supernatural,  because  she  disposes  everything  with 
regard  to  a  supernatural  end,  and  because  it  is  her  mis¬ 
sion  to  make  men  holy,  and  supernaturally  sanctify 
them ;  she  is  miraculous,  because  all  the  great  mysteries 
were  ordained  for  her  institution,  and  because  her  exist¬ 
ence,  her  duration,  her  conquests  are  a  perpetual  mira¬ 
cle.  The  Father  sent  his  Son  upon  the  earth,  the  Son 
sent  his  apostles  to  the  world,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  to 
his  apostles;  so  that  in  the  fullness  as  in  the  beginning 
of  time,  in  the  institution  of  the  Church  as  in  the  crea¬ 
tion  of  the  universe,  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost 
assisted.  Twelve  sinners  proclaim  mysterious  truths, 
which  convulse  the  earth  and  enkindle  in  her  veins  a 
hitherto  unknown  fire.  A  mighty  whirlwind  envelops 
nations,  carries  away  the  people,  subverts  empires,  and 
confounds  races.  Mankind  sweat  blood  under  the  press¬ 
ure  of  a  divine  force.  But  out  of  all  this  distress,  this 
confusion  of  races,  of  nations,  of  people — out  of  these 
devouring  tempests,  and  of  this  fire  which  consumes  the 
earth — the  world  comes  forth  radiant  and  renovated,  re¬ 
posing  at  the  feet  of  the  Church  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ. 

The  gates  of  this  mystical  city  of  God  lead  in  every 
direction,  to  signify  her  universal  mission.  “  Unam 
omnium  Rempublicam  agnoscimus  mundum"  says  Ter- 
tullian.  For  her  there  exists  neither  barbarian  nor 
Greek,  neither  Jew  nor  Gentile.  In  her  dwell  the 
Scythian  and  the  Roman,  the  Persian  and  the  Macedo¬ 
nian,  those  who  come  from  the  east  and  the  west,  the 
north  and  the  south.  Her  holy  mission  is  to  teach 


44 


ESSAY  OX  CATHOLICISM, 

• 

wisdom ;  her  sway  and  her  priesthood  are  both  univer¬ 
sal;  her  subjects  are  kings  and  emperors,  and  her  heroes 
are  saints  and  martyrs;  her  invincible  soldiery  are  the 
brave  men  who  have  subdued  their  carnal  inclinations 
and  irregular  desires.  It  is  God  who  invisibly  presides 
over  her  grave  deliberations,  and  her  most  sacred  coun¬ 
cils.  When  her  pontiffs  speak  to  the  earth,  their  infal¬ 
lible  word  has  already  been  recorded  by  God  in  the 
heavens. 

The  Church  rests  upon  no  human  foundation.  After 
having  rescued  the  world  from  an  abyss  of  corruption, 
she  has  brought  it  forth  out  of  the  darkness  of  barbar¬ 
ism.  She  has  always  fought  the  battles  of  the  Lord, 
and,  having  suffered  much  tribulation,  has  always  proved 
victorious.  Heretics  deny  her  doctrine,  but  she  tri¬ 
umphs  over  heretics.  Every  human  passion  rebels 
against  her  empire,  but  she  triumphs  over  all  human 
passions.  The  final  struggles  of  paganism  were  directed 
against  her,  but  paganism  lies  vanquished  at  her  feet. 
Kings  and  emperors  persecute  her,  but  the  constancy 
of  her  martyrs  overcomes  the  ferocity  of  their  execu¬ 
tioners.  She  only  contends  for  her  sacred  liberty,  and 
the  world  accords  her  sovereign  power. 

Under  her  most  prolific  rule  the  sciences  have  flour¬ 
ished,  manners  have  been  reformed,  laws  perfected,  and 
all  the  great  domestic,  political,  and  social  institutions 
have  had  a  rich  and  spontaneous  growth.  Her  anathe¬ 
mas  have  only  been  directed  against  impious  men,  re¬ 
bellious  nations,  and  tyrannical  kings. 

She  has,  in  the  defense  of  liberty,  opposed  those 
kings  who  have  made  a  despotic  use  of  power,  and  she 
has  maintained  the  principle  of  authority  in  opposition 
to  those  nations  who  have  attempted  to  effect  an  abso- 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


45 


lute  emancipation.  Everywhere  she  has  upheld  the 
rights  of  God  and  the  inviolability  of  his  holy  com¬ 
mandments.  There  is  no  truth  that  she  has  failed  to 
proclaim,  nor  error  that  she  has  not  anathematized. 
Liberty  in  truth  she  has  always  held  sacred,  but  liberty 
in  error  is  as  hateful  to  her  as  error  itself.  She  looks 
upon  error  as  born  and  existing  without  rights,  and  she 
has  therefore  pursued,  resisted,  and  extirpated  it  in  the 
most  hidden  recesses  of  the  human  mind.  As  the  per¬ 
petual  illegitimacy  and  ignoring  of  error  has  been  a  re¬ 
ligious  dogma,  so  has  it  also  been  a  political  dogma, 
proclaimed  in  all  ages  and  by  all  rulers.  All  have  con¬ 
sidered  as  beyond  the  pale  of  discussion  the  principle 
on  which  their  power  rested;  all  have  denounced  as 
error,  and  have  deprived  of  all  legitimacy  and  right, 
any  principle  opposed  to  that  principle.  They  have  all 
considered  themselves  infallible  in  this  judgment,  with¬ 
out  appeal,  and  if  all  political  errors  have  not  been 
condemned,  it  is  not  because  the  conscience  of  mankind 
recognizes  the  legitimacy  of  any  error,  but  because  it 
has  never  admitted,  in  any  human  potentates,  the  privi¬ 
lege  of  infallibility  in  the  qualification  of  error.  As  a 
consequence  of  this  radical  incapacity  of  human  poten¬ 
tates  to  discriminate  error,  has  arisen  the  principle  of 
freedom  of  discussion,  the  foundation  of  modern  consti¬ 
tutions.  This  principle  does  not  suppose  in  society,  as 
might  appear  at  first  sight,  an  incomprehensible  and  cul¬ 
pable  impartiality  between  truth  and  error;  it  is  based 
upon  two  other  hypotheses,  one  of  which  is  true  and  the 
other  false.  The  first  supposition  is,  that  those  who 
govern  are  not  infallible,  which  is  an  evident  truth;  the 
other  is  based  on  the  infallibility  of  discussion,  which  is 
false  in  every  point  of  view.  Infallibility  cannot  result 


46  ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 

from  discussion,  if  it  does  not  previously  exist  in  those 
who  argue ;  and  it  cannot  exist  in  those  who  argue,  if  it 
does  not  also  exist  in  those  who  govern.  If  infallibility 
is  an  attribute  of  human  nature,  it  is  found  in  the  first 
as  well  as  in  the  second;  but  if  it  is  not  an  attribute  of 
human  nature,  neither  the  first  nor  the  second  possess 
it.  Either  all  are  infallible  or  all  are  fallible.  The 
question  then  is  to  decide  whether  human  nature  is  fal¬ 
lible  or  infallible;  which  question  resolves  itself  into 
this  other:' whether  human  nature  is  in  a  sound  condi¬ 
tion  or  vitiated  and  fallen. 

According  to  the  first  supposition,  infallibility,  an 
essential  quality  of  a  sound  understanding,  is  the  first 
and  greatest  of  all  its  attributes,  and  from  this  princi¬ 
ple  the  following  consequences  naturally  follow:  If  the 
reason  of  man  is  infallible  because  it  is  sound,  it  cannot 
err  because  it  is  infallible ;  if  it  cannot  err  because  it  is 
infallible,  then  all  men  possess  the  truth,  no  matter 
whether  we  consider  them  collectively  or  separately. 
If  all  men  possess  the  truth,  either  singly  or  collectively 
considered,  then  all  their  affirmations  and  negations  are 
necessarily  identical.  If  all  their  affirmations  and  ne¬ 
gations  are  identical,  discussion  is  inconceivable  and 
absurd. 

According  to  the  second  supposition,  fallibility  is  a 
weakness  of  human  reason,  and  is  the  first  and  greatest 
of  human  imperfections ;  and  proceeding  from  this 
principle  are  the  following  consequences:  If  the  reason 
of  man  is  fallible  because  it  is  infirm,  it  can  never  be 
certain  of  discerning  the  truth,  because  it  is  fallible;  if 
it  can  never  be  sure  of  the  truth  because  it  is  fallible, 
then  this  uncertainty  is  an  essential  characteristic  of  all 
men,  whether  we  consider  them  singly  or  in  the  aggre- 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM.  47 

gate.  If  this  uncertainty  exists  in  all  men,  collectively 
or  individually,  all  their  affirmations  and  negations  must 
he  a  contradiction  in  terms,  because  they  are  necessarily 
uncertain;  and  if  all  their  affirmations  and  negations 
are  uncertain,  discussion  becomes  absurd  and  incon¬ 
ceivable. 

Catholicism  alone,  as  on  all  other  points,  has  given  a 
satisfactory  and  legitimate  solution  of  this  fearful  prob¬ 
lem.  Catholicism  teaches  the  following  doctrine :  Man 
comes  from  God,  and  sin  from  man ;  ignorance  and  error, 
as  well  as  sorrow  and  death,  come  from  sin;  fallibility 
comes  from  ignorance,  and  from  fallibility  results  the  ab¬ 
surdity  of  discussion.  But  it  adds,  man  was  redeemed ; 
which  does  not  mean  that  by  the  act  of  redemption,  and 
without  any  effort  on  his  part,  he  was  delivered  from  the 
slavery  of  sin;  but  it  signifies,  that  through  the  redemp¬ 
tion  he  acquired  the  power  to  break  these  chains,  and, 
ennobled  and  restored,  to  convert  ignorance,  error,  sor¬ 
row,  and  death  into  means  of  sanctification  by  the  proper 
use  of  his  regained  liberty.  For  this  end,  God  insti¬ 
tuted  his  Church,  immortal,  impeccable,  and  infallible. 
The  Church  represents  human  nature  without  sin,  such 
as  it  came  from  the  hands  of  God,  full  of  original  jus¬ 
tice  and  of  sanctifying  grace ;  and  this  is  the  reason 
why  she  is  infallible,  and  not  subject  to  death.  God 
has  established  his  Church  upon  the  earth,  in  order  that 
man,  aided  by  grace,  which  is  granted  to  all,  may  make 
himself  worthy  of  having  the  blood,  which  was  shed  for 
him  on  Calvary,  applied  to  him,  by  a  free  submission  to 
its  divine  inspirations.  By  faith  he  will  be  enabled  to 
vanquish  ignorance,  by  patience  he  will  overcome  sor¬ 
row,  and  resignation  will  conquer  death ;  while  death, 


43 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


sorrow,  and  ignorance  only  exist  in  order  to  be  subdued 
by  faith,  resignation,  and  patience. 

It  follows,  then,  that  the  Church  alone  has  the  right 
of  affirmation  and  negation,  and  that  there  can  exist  no 
right  to  deny  what  she  asserts,  or  to  assert  what  she 
denies.  When  society  forgot  the  doctrinal  decisions  of 
the  Church,  and  consulted  either  the  press  or  the  pulpit, 
the  magazines  or  the  public  assemblies,  as  to  what  was 
truth  or  what  was  error,  then  all  minds  confounded  truth 
and  error,  and  society  was  plunged  into  a  region  of 
shadows  and  illusions.  Finding  it  to  be  an  imperative 
necessity  to  submit  to  truth  and  withdraw  from  error, 
yet  finding  it  impossible  to  define  what  is  error  and 
what  is  truth,  she  forms  a  catalogue  of  conventional 
and  arbitrary  truths,  and  another  of  pretended  errors; 
and  then  she  attempts  to  dictate  as  to  what  is  to  be 
believed,  and  what  condemned.  But  she  does  not  know, 
so  great  is  her  blindness,  that  in  asserting  some  things 
and  denying  others,  she  neither  believes  nor  rejects 
anything;  or,  if  she  condemns  and  adores  anything,  she 
condemns  and  adores  herself. 

The  doctrinal  intolerance  of  the  Church  has  saved  the 
world  from  chaos.  It  has  placed  political,  domestic, 
social,  and  religious  truths  beyond  controversy.  These 
primitive  and  sacred  truths  are  not  subject  to  discussion, 
because  they  are  the  basis  of  all  discussion.  The  mo¬ 
ment  there  arises  a  doubt  about  them,  that  moment  the 
mind  becomes  unsettled,  being  lost  between  truth  and 
error,  and  the  clear  mirror  of  human  reason  is  obscured. 
This  serves  to  explain  why  society,  whenever  emanci¬ 
pated  from  the  Church,  has  only  wasted  its  time  in 
ephemeral  and  sterile  disputes,  which  can  only  result 
in  complete  skepticism,  because  complete  skepticism  is 


LIBERALISM,  Aft  D  SOCIALISM. 


49 


their  point  of  departure.  The  Church,  and  the  Church 
alone,  has  the  sacred  privilege  of  profitable  and  fruitful 
discussions.  The  Cartesian  theory,  according  to  which 
truth  proceeds  from  doubt,  as  Minerva  from  the  head 
of  Jupiter,  is  at  variance  with  that  divine  law,  which 
regulates  the  generation  of  ideas  as  well  as  that  of 
bodies,  and  in  virtue  of  which  contraries  perpetually 
exclude  their  contraries,  and  like  always  begets  like. 
As  a  consequence  of  this  law,  doubt  always  produces 
doubt,  and  skepticism  begets  skepticism,  just  as  truth  is 
derived  from  faith  and  science  from  truth. 

To  the  profound  comprehension  of  this  law  of  the  in¬ 
tellectual  generation  of  ideas  wTe  are  indebted  for  the 
wonders  of  Catholic  civilization.  We  owe  to  this  mar¬ 
velous  civilization  all  that  we  contemplate  that  is  worthy 
of  admiration.  Its  theologians,  even  humanly  consid¬ 
ered,  surpass  all  the  modern  and  ancient  philosophers ; 
its  doctors  astonish  by  the  immensity  of  their  learning ; 
and  its  historians  eclipse  those  of  antiquity,  by  the  com¬ 
prehensiveness  and  generalization  of  their  views.  The 
City  of  God,  by  St.  Augustin,  is  even  now  the  most 
profound  history  that  human  genius,  illumined  by  the 
light  of  Catholicism,  has  ever  presented  to  the  admira¬ 
tion  of  mankind.  The  decrees  of  its  councils,  aside 
from  divine  inspiration,  are  the  most  perfect  monument 
of  human  prudence.  The  canon  law  is  superior  in  wis¬ 
dom  to  the  Roman  and  feudal  laws.  Who  surpasses  St. 
Thomas  in  science,  St.  Augustin  in  genius,  Bossuet  in 
majesty,  St.  Paul  in  power  ?  Who  is  a  better  poet  than 
Dante  ?  Who  equals  Shakspeare  ?  Who  excels  Calde¬ 
ron?  Who,  like  Raphael,  has  ever  clothed  canvas  with 
inspiration  and  life  ? 

The  Egyptian  pyramids  prove  to  the  world  the  former 


50 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


existence  of  a  great  and  barbarous  civilization ;  the  Gre¬ 
cian  statues  and  temples  exhibit  a  graceful,  ephemeral, 
and  brilliant  cultivation  ;  the  Roman  monuments  show 
that  a  great  nation  created  them ;  but  the  cathedral,  in 
which  is  united  so  great  majesty  to  so  great  beauty,  so 
much  grandeur  to  so  much  taste,  such  grace  joined  to 
such  surpassing  loveliness,  unity  so  severe  to  so  rich  a 
variety,  such  a  combination  of  moderation  and  boldness, 
such  mellowness  of  tint  and  roundness  of  outline  to  such 
marvelous  harmony  between  silence  and  light,  shadows 
and  colors, — this  spectacle  exhibits  the  most  astonishing 
of  civilizations  and  the  greatest  people  of  history;  a 
people  who  combine  the  Egyptian  grandeur,  Grecian 
brilliancy,  and  Roman  strength;  and,  added  to  all  these, 
that  which  is  beyond  all  strength,  brilliancy  and  gran- 
deur,  the  immortal  and  the  perfect. 

If  we  pass  from  the  contemplation  of  the  sciences, 
letters,  and  the  arts,  to  the  study  of  those  institutions 
which  the  Church  animates  with  her  breath,  nourishes 
with  her  substance,  upholds  with  her  spirit,  and  illu¬ 
mines  with  her  light,  we  behold  a  spectacle  equally  sur¬ 
prising  and  wonderful.  Catholicism,  which  refers  all 
things  to  God,  and  orders  all  things  in  reference  to 
God,  and  thus  converts  the  most  entire  freedom  into  a 
constitutive  element  of  order,  and  infinite  variety  into 
a  constitutive  element  of  infinite  unity,  is,  by  its  very 
nature,  the  religion  of  vigorous  associations,  which  are 
closely  united  through  sympathetic  affinities. 

In  Catholicism,  man  never  stands  alone ;  so  that,  in 
order  to  find  a  man  severed  from  all  ties,  and  consigned 
to  that  dismal  and  gloomy  solitude  where  he  becomes 
an  embodiment  of  ignorance  and  pride,  we  must  go  be¬ 
yond  its  confines.  In  the  vast  circle  described  by  limits 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


51 


so  immense,  men  live  grouped  together,  in  obedience  to 
the  impulsion  of  their  most  noble  affinities.  These 
groups  are  connected  one  with  the  other,  and  all  are 
united  in  a  more  general  and  comprehensive  body,  and 
move  in  submission  to  the  law  of  a  sovereign  harmony. 
The  child  is  born,  and  lives  in  the  domestic  association, 
which  is  the  divine  foundation  of  human  associations. 
Families  are  grouped  among  themselves  in  conformity 
with  the  law  of  their  origin,  and,  assembled  in  this  man¬ 
ner,  they  form  superior  groups,  which  are  called  classes. 
The  different  classes  have  each  their  particular  func¬ 
tions.  Some  cultivate  the  arts  of  peace,  others  those 
of  war;  some  acquire  glory,  others  administer  justice; 
wrhile  others  are  devoted  to  industrial  pursuits.  Out  of 
these  natural  groups  others  spontaneously  arise,  com¬ 
posed  of  those  who  seek  glory  by  the  same  path,  those 
who  are  devoted  to  the  same  industrial  avocations,  and 
those  who  have  the  same  professions.  These  various 
groups  are  arranged  in  classes,  and  all  these  classes, 
hierarchically  arranged  among  themselves,  constitute 
the  State,  a  vast  association,  of  sufficient  amplitude  for 
all.  This  is  the  social  point  of  view. 

Considered  in  a  political  aspect,  families  are  asso¬ 
ciated  into  various  groups ;  each  group  of  families  con¬ 
stitutes  a  municipality,  and  each  municipality  is,  for  the 
families  that  compose  it,  a  participation  in  common  in 
the  right  of  worshiping  God,  administering  their  own 
goods,  providing  nourishment  for  the  living,  and  burial 
for  the  dead.  For  this  reason  each  municipality  has  its 
temple,  the  symbol  of  its  religious  unity;  a  municipal 
hall,  the  symbol  of  its  administrative  unity;  its  terri¬ 
tory,  the  symbol  of  its  jurisdictional  and  civil  unity; 
and  its  cemetery,  the  symbol  of  its  right  of  sepulture. 


52 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


This  combination  forms  a  municipal  unity,  which  also 
has  its  symbol  in  the  right  to  take  up  arms  and  display 
its  banner.  A  confederation  of  municipalities  forms  a 
national  unity,  which  in  its  turn  is  symbolized  by  a 
throne,  and  personified  by  a  king.  Above  all  these 
magnificent  associations  is  that  of  all  the  Catholic  na¬ 
tions,  with  their  Christian  princes  fraternally  united  in 
the  bosom  of  the  Church.  This  perfect  and  sovereign 
association  is  one  in  its  chief,  and  manifold  in  its  mem¬ 
bers.  Its  variety  is  in  the  faithful  dispersed  through¬ 
out  the  world;  while  its  oneness  is  in  that  holy  chair 
at  Rome,  which  is  all  radiant  and  encircled  by  divine 
splendors.  This  high  chair  is  the  central  point  of  hu¬ 
manity,  as  it  represents  diversity  through  its  general 
councils,  and  unity  through  the  common  father  of  the 
faithful,  the  Vicar  of  Jesus  Christ. 

The  Church,  then,  is  the  supreme  variety,  the  sover¬ 
eign  unity,  the  most  excellent  society.  The  various 
discordant  elements  of  human  societies  are  here  con¬ 
cordant.  The  pontiff  is  king,  both  by  divine  right  and 
by  human  right.  The  divine  right  shines  forth  in  the  in¬ 
stitution  itself ;  the  human  right  is  chiefly  manifested  in 
the  designation  of  the  person.  The  designation  of  the 
sovereign  pontiff  is  made  by  men,  but  it  is  God  who 
ratifies  their  choice.  As  the  pontifical  dignity  combines 
the  human  and  divine  sanction,  so  does  it  embrace  the 
advantages  of  the  elective  and  the  hereditary  monarchy. 
It  has  the  popularity  of  the  one  and  the  inviolability  and 
prestige  of  the  other.  Similar  to  the  first,  the  pontifi¬ 
cal  monarchy  is  limited  on  every  side ;  and,  like  the 
second,  the  limitations  by  which  it  is  restrained  do  not 
come  from  without,  but  from  within;  they  are  not 
forced,  but  voluntary.  These  limitations  have  their 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


53 


foundation  in  an  ardent  charity,  a  wonderful  humil¬ 
ity,  and  an  infinite  prudence.  What  a  suprising  mon¬ 
archy,  in  which  the  king,  being  elected,  is  venerated; 
and  in  which,  though  all  are  eligible  to  the  supreme 
command,  yet  the  sovereign  power  remains  intact  and 
undisturbed  by  domestic  wars  or  civil  strife!  Where 
can  we  find  a  monarch  in  which  the  king  chooses  the 
electors,  who  in  their  turn  elect  the  king,  where  all  are 
elected  and  all  are  electors?  Who  does  not  here  per¬ 
ceive  the  high  and  hidden  mystery  of  unity  perpetually 
begetting  diversity,  and  diversity  perpetually  resolving 
itself  into  unity?  Who  does  not  see  here  a  represent¬ 
ation  of  the  concurrence  of  all  things?  And  who  can 
fail  to  discover  that  this  wonderful  monarchy  represents 
him  who,  being  both  true  God  and  true  man,  unites  in 
himself  divinity  and  humanity,  unity  and  variety? 

The  occult  law  which  regulates  the  generation  of 
unity  and  diversity,  must  necessarily  be  the  highest,  the 
most  universal,  the  most  excellent,  and  the  most  myste¬ 
rious  of  all  laws;  because  God  has  subjected  all  things 
to  it,  human  and  divine,  created  and  uncreated,  visible 
and  invisible.  It  is  one  in  essence,  but  infinite  in  its 
manifestations.  All  that  exists  seems  to  have  being 
only  in  order  to  manifest  it,  and  each  separate  existence 
reveals  it  under  a  new  form.  In  one  form  it  exists  in 
God;  in  another  manner  in  God  made  man;  in  another 
in  his  Church ;  in  another  in  the  family ;  in  another  in 
the  universe;  but  it  exists  in  all  things  in  the  whole 
and  in  each  part  of  the  whole.  On  the  one  hand  it  is 
an  invisible  and  incomprehensible  mystery ;  on  the 
other,  without  ceasing  to  be  a  mystery,  it  is  a  visible 
phenomenon  and  a  palpable  fact. 

Near  the  king,  whose  province  is  to  reign  with  a  sov- 

6 


54 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


ereign  independence  and  an  absolute  power,  there  is  a 
perpetual  senate,  composed  of  princes  who  hold  their 
office  from  God.  This  perpetual  and  sacred  senate  is 
invested  with  a  governing  power;  and  yet  this  power  is 
exercised  in  such  a  manner  as  neither  to  restrict,  to 
diminish,  or  eclipse  the  supreme  power  of  the  monarch. 
The  Church  presents  the  only  example  of  a  monarchy 
remaining  in  continual  contact  with  a  powerful  oligarchy, 
and  preserving  intact  the  plenitude  of  its  rights;  and 
hers  is  the  only  oligarchy  which  has  remained  in  contact 
with  an  absolute  monarch,  without  turbulence  and  rebel¬ 
lion. 

In  the  same  manner  as  the  princes  of  the  Church 
come  after  their  chief,  so  after  the  princes  come  the 
priests,  who  are  charged  with  a  most  sacred  ministry. 
This  wonderful  society  entirely  differs  in  its  arrange¬ 
ments  from  all  human  associations.  In  the  latter,  the 
distinctions  existing  in  the  social  hierarchy  are  so  great 
that  those  of  humble  condition  are  tempted  to  rebel, 
and  the  elevated  in  rank  are  disposed  to  tyrannize. 

In  the  Church  the  disposition  of  things  is  such  that 
neither  tyranny  nor  rebellion  is  possible.  Here  the 
dignity  of  the  subject  is  so  great,  that  the  greatness  of 
the  prelate  is  rather  on  account  of  that  which  he  holds 
in  common  with  the  subject,  than  in  consequence  of  any 
special  prerogative  which  he  enjoys  as  prelate.  The  pecu¬ 
liar  dignity  of  the  bishops  does  not  consist  in  their  being 
princes,  nor  that  of  the  pontiff  in  his  being  king;  but  it  is 
in  this,  that  both  pontiff  and  bishops  are  priests  like  their 
subjects.  Their  highest  and  incommunicable  privilege 
is  not  in  their  authority,  but  in  the  power  to  make  the 
Son  of  God  obedient  to  their  voice,  to  offer  the  Son  to 
the  Father  as  an  unbloody  sacrifice  for  the  sins  of  the 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM.  55 

world,  in  their  being  the  channels  through  which  men 
receive  the  grace  of  God,  and  in  the  supreme  and  in¬ 
communicable  right  to  remit  and  retain  sins.  In  a 
word,  the  highest  dignity  is  not  the  privilege  of  a  por¬ 
tion,  but  that  which  belongs  alike  to  all;  this  supreme 
dignity  is  neither  the  episcopacy  nor  the  pontifical 
authority,  but  that  of  priest. 

If  we  take  an  isolated  view  of  the  pontifical  author¬ 
ity,  the  Church  would  seem  to  be  an  absolute  monarchy. 
If  we  consider  by  itself  its  apostolical  constitution,  it 
would  seem  to  be  a  powerful  oligarchy.  If  we  regard  on 
the  one  side  the  dignity  common  to  prelates  and  priests, 
and  on  the  other  the  wide  distinction  between  priests 
and  the  people,  it  would  seem  to  be  an  immense  aristoc¬ 
racy.  But  when  we  behold  the  vast  multitude  of  the 
faithful  spread  throughout  the  world,  and  see  priests, 
bishops,  and  pontiffs  employed  in  their  service,  and  that 
nothing  is  ordained  in  this  great  society  for  the  aggran¬ 
dizement  of  those  who  govern,  but  for  the  salvation  of 
those  who  obey;  when  we  consider  the  consoling  dogma 
of  the  essential  equality  of  souls;  when  we  remember 
that  the  Saviour  of  mankind  suffered  the  torments  of  the 
cross  for  each  and  every  man;  when  the  principle  is 
proclaimed  that  it  is  the  duty  of  the  good  pastor  to  die 
for  his  flock  if  necessary;  when  we  reflect  that  the  ulti¬ 
mate  object  of  the  different  ministries  of  the  priesthood 
is  the  reunion  of  the  faithful, — the  Church  viewed  in  this 
light  appears  like  an  immense  democracy,  in  the  most 
glorious  acceptation  of  this  word,  or  at  least  like  a 
society  instituted  for  an  end  essentially  popular  and 
democratic. 

And,  what  is  most  surprising  of  all  is,  that  the  Church 
really  is  all  that  it  appears  to  be.  In  other  societies 


56 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


these  various  forms  are  incompatible  with  each  other,  or 
if  by  accident  they  are  united,  they  invariably  lose,  by 
being  so,  many  of  their  essential  properties.  A  mon¬ 
archy  cannot  exist  in  conjunction  with  an  oligarchy  or 
an  aristocracy,  without  the  first  losing  much  that  natu¬ 
rally  appertains  to  absolutism,  nor  can  the  second  exist 
without  a  loss  of  power.  A  monarchy,  an  oligarchy, 
and  an  aristocracy  cannot  coexist  with  a  democracy, 
without  the  latter  losing  its  exclusive  and  absorbing 
character,  as  an  aristocracy  loses  its  power,  an  oligarchy 
its  aggressive  tendencies,  a  monarchy  its  absolutism. 
Their  reciprocal  relations  cause  their  common  annihila¬ 
tion.  It  is  only  in  that  supernatural  society,  the  Church, 
that  we  find  all  these  forms  harmoniously  combined 
without  any  diminution  of  their  original  purity  and 
their  primitive  grandeur.  This  pacific  combination  of 
antagonistic  forces,  and  of  forms  of  government  whose 
only  law,  humanly  speaking,  is  to  oppose  each  other, 
presents  the  most  beautiful  spectacle  the  world  can 
offer.  If  the  government  of  the  Church  could  be  de¬ 
fined,  we  might  define  it  as  an  immense  aristocracy  that 
wields  an  oligarchic  power,  which  is  placed  in  the  hands 
of  an  absolute  king,  whose  peculiar  function  is  to  offer 
himself  perpetually  as  a  holocaust  for  the  salvation  of 
his  people.  This  would  indeed  be  the  most  surprising 
of  definitions,  as  that  which  it  defines  is  the  greatest 
marvel  of  history ! 

To  briefly  recapitulate  what  has  been  said,  we  may 
venture  to  assert,  without  fear  of  being  contradicted  by 
facts,  that  through  Catholicism  all  things  have  been 
regulated  and  made  harmonious.  This  order  and  har¬ 
mony  as  regards  man,  proves  that  Catholicism  has  sub¬ 
jected  the  passions  to  the  will,  the  will  to  the  under¬ 
standing,  the  understanding  to  reason,  reason  to  faith, 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM.  57 

and  faith  to  charity,  in  virtue  of  which  man  is  renewed 
in  God,  and  purified  with  an  infinite  love.  With  respect 
to  the  family,  it  shows  that  by  Catholicism  the  three 
domestic  persons  have  been  definitively  constituted,  be¬ 
ing  united  in  one,  and  hound  together  by  the  happiest 
ties.  It  also  proves,  as  regards  rulers,  that  Catholicism 
has  sanctified  authority  and  obedience,  and  forever  con¬ 
demned  tyranny  and  revolution.  As  relates  to  society, 
we  likewise  see  the  influence  of  Catholicism  in  putting  a 
stop  to  the  war  of  classes,  in  harmonizing  the  various 
social  groups,  and  in  introducing  a  spirit  of  union  in 
place  of  that  egotism  and  isolation  which  before  ex¬ 
isted,  and  in  substituting  charity  for  pride.  With  regard 
to  the  sciences,  letters,  and  the  arts,  we  find  that  man¬ 
kind  are  indebted  to  Catholicism  for  the  discovery  of 
the  true  and  the  beautiful;  of  the  true  God  and  his 
divine  splendor.  And  finally,  we  see  that  with  Cathol¬ 
icism  has  appeared  in  the  world  a  supernatural  society, 
which  is  most  excellent  and  perfect,  and  founded  by 
God ;  a  society  preserved  and  assisted  by  God,  and 
which  is  the  perpetual  depository  of  his  eternal  word, 
which  nourishes  the  world  with  the  bread  of  life,  which 
can  neither  deceive  nor  be  deceived,  which  teaches  to 
all  men  the  lessons  of  its  divine  Master,  and  is  the  per¬ 
fect  likeness  of  his  divine  excellence,  the  sublime  exem¬ 
plar  and  finished  model  of  human  societies. 

In  the  following  chapters  we  shall  fully  demonstrate 
that  neither  Christianity  nor  the  Catholic  Church  (which 
is  its  positive  expression)  has  been  able  to  do  such 
great  things,  to  cause  such  marvelous  changes,  without 
the  unceasing  and  supernatural  action  of  God,  who  gov¬ 
erns  society  supernaturally  through  his  providence,  and 
man  through  his  grace. 


6* 


58 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Catholicism  is  Love. 


There  exists  the  same  difference  between  the  Catho¬ 
lic  Church  and  the  other  societies  spread  throughout 
the  world,  as  between  natural  and  supernatural  concep¬ 
tions,  and  as  between  the  human  and  the  divine. 

The  pagan  world  considered  society  and  the  city  as 
identical.  For  the  Roman,  society  was  Rome  ;  and  for 
the  Athenian,  it  was  Athens.  Outside  of  Athens  and 
of  Rome  were  only  a  barbarous  and  rude  people,  who 
were  coarse  and  unpolished,  and  unsocial  by  nature. 
Christianity  not  only  revealed  human  society  to  man, 
hut  also  another  society,  much  higher  and  more  excel¬ 
lent,  whose  immensity  has  neither  bounds  nor  limits, 
whose  citizens  are  the  saints  who  triumph  in  heaven, 
the  just  who  suffer  in  purgatory,  and  the  Christians  who 
combat  on  the  earth. 

If  we  carefully  investigate  the  records  of  history,  and 
meditate  upon  them,  we  shall  discover  with  amazement 
that  this  gigantic  conception  cannot  be  explained  by 
anything  we  find  there  recorded.  It  made  its  appear¬ 
ance  alone,  unexpectedly,  and  without  antecedents.  It 
came  as  a  supernatural  revelation,  communicated  to  man 
supernaturally.  The  world  received  it  at  once,  and 
without  having  perceived  its  coming;  when  it  was  seen, 
it  was  already  come,  when  it  was  recognized  at  a  glance, 
and  as  by  inspiration.  Who  but  God,  who  is  love,  could 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM.  59 

teach  those  who  combat  here,  that  they  are  in  com¬ 
munion  with  those  who  suffer  in  purgatory,  and  those 
who  triumph  in  heaven  ?  Who  but  God  could  unite  in 
loving  bonds  the  living  and  the  dead,  the  just,  saints, 
and  sinners  ?  Who  but  God  could  connect  oceans  so 
immense  ? 

The  law  of  unity  and  of  variety,  that  law  by  excel¬ 
lence  which  is  both  human  and  divine,  without  which 
nothing  can  be  explained,  and  which  explains  all  things, 
is  here  shown  to  us  in  one  of  its  most  surprising  manifesta¬ 
tions.  Diversity  exists  in  heaven,  since  the  Father,  the 
Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  are  three  persons ;  and  this 
diversity  is  merged,  without  confusion,  into  unity;  be¬ 
cause  the  Father  is  God,  the  Son  is  God,  and  the  Holy 
Ghost  is  God,  and  God  is  one.  Diversity  existed  in  the 
terrestrial  paradise,  because  Adam  and  Eve  were  differ¬ 
ent  persons ;  and  this  diversity  is  merged,  without  being 
blended,  into  unity,  because  Adam  and  Eve  represent 
human  nature,  and  human  nature  is  one.  In  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  there  is  diversity,  because  there  is  a  con¬ 
junction  of  the  divine  nature  on  the  one  hand  and  the  cor¬ 
poral  and  spiritual  elements  of  his  human  nature  on  the 
other.  The  human  and  divine  natures  are  merged,  with¬ 
out  being  confounded,  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  is 
only  one  in  person.  Finally,  diversity  also  exjjts  in  the 
Church,  because  she  is  militant  on  earth,  suffering  in 
purgatory,  and  triumphant  in  heaven ;  and  this  diversity 
is  merged,  without  being  confounded,  in  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  the  sole  head  of  the  universal  Church  ;  and  who, 
as  the  only  Son  of  the  Father,  is,  like  the  Father,  the 
symbol  of  a  diversity  of  persons  in  a  unity  of  essence : 
as  he  is  also,  in  quality  of  God-man,  the  symbol  of  a 
diversity  of  essence  in  a  unity  of  person ;  and,  being  at 


60 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


the  same  time  God-man  and  the  Son  of  God,  he  is  the 
symbol  of  all  possible  diversities  and  of  infinite  unity. 

As  supreme  harmony  consists  in  this,  that  the  unity, 
out  of  which  all  diversity  arises,  and  into  which  all  diver¬ 
sity  resolves  itself,  should  be  identical  with  itself  in  all 
its  manifestations,  it  follows  that  it  is  always  in  virtue 
of  one  and  the  same  law  that  diversity  resolves  itself 
into  unity.  The  diversity  of  the  Holy  Trinity  becomes 
one  through  love.  Human  diversity,  composed  of  the 
father,  the  mother,  and  the  son,  becomes  one  through 
love.  The  human  and  divine  natures  become  one,  in 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  through  the  incarnation  of  the 
Word  in  the  womb  of  the  Virgin,  which  is  a  mystery  of 
love.  The  Church  militant,  the  Church  suffering,  and 
the  Church  triumphant  are  one  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
through  the  prayers  of  Christians  in  heaven,  whose  peti¬ 
tions  descend  as  a  beneficent  dew  upon  those  who  com¬ 
bat  ;  and,  through  the  prayers  of  the  Church  militant, 
whose  efficacy  falls  like  a  revivifying  shower  upon  those 
who  suffer,  for  perfect  prayer  is  the  ecstasy  of  love. 
“God  is  charity;  and  he  that  abideth  in  charity  abideth 
in  God,  and  God  in  him.”  If  God  is  charity,  then  char¬ 
ity  is  the  infinite  unity,  because  God  is  infinite  unity. 
If  he  who  has  charity  is  in  God,  and  God  in  him,  then 
God  maj  descend  even  unto  man  through  charity,  and 
man  may  ascend  even  unto  God  through  charity;  and 
all  this,  without  confusion,  and  in  such  a  manner  that 
neither  God,  made  man,  loses  his  divine  nature,  nor  man, 
made  God,  loses  his  human  nature,  man  always  remain¬ 
ing  man,  although  he  is  God,  and  God  always  God, 
although  he  is  man.  All  this  is  accomplished  by  means 
exclusively  supernatural,  that  is,  by  means  exclusively 
divine. 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM.  61 

All  nations  have  had  some  comprehension  of  this 
greatest  of  all  Catholic  dogmas;  as  they  have  possessed 
a  knowledge  more  or  less  correct,  more  or  less  complete, 
of  other  Catholic  dogmas.  In  every  zone,  in  all  ages, 
and  among  every  human  race,  an  immortal  belief  has 
been  preserved  of  a  future  transformation,  which  will 
he  so  radical  and  supreme  that  it  will  forever  unite  the 
creature  to  the  Creator,  the  human  to  the  divine  nature. 
Even  in  the  paradisiacal  era,  the  enemy  of  mankind 
spoke  to  our  first  parents  of  their  being  gods.  Since 
the  prevarication  and  the  fall,  this  wonderful  tradition 
has  everywhere  been  prevalent,  and  every  scholar  will 
find  traces  of  its  existence  in  all  theologies,  however 
slight  may  be  his  investigations.  The  difference  between 
the  pure  dogma,  as  preserved  in  Catholic  theology,  and 
the  dogma  as  corrupted  by  human  traditions,  is  in  the 
manner  in  which  this  supreme  transformation  and  sov¬ 
ereign  end  is  attained.  The  angel  of  darkness  did  not 
deceive  our  first  parents,  when  he  affirmed  that  they 
would  become  as  gods.  The  fraud  consisted  in  hiding 
from  them  the  supernatural  way  of  love,  and  revealing 
to  them  the  natural  way  of  disobedience.  The  error 
committed  by  pagan  theologians  was  not  in  asserting  that 
humanity  ought  to  be  elevated  to  a  union  with  God,  but 
their  error  consisted  in  having  considered  the  divine  and 
human  natures  as  nearly  identical ;  while  Catholicism 
regards  them  as  essentially  distinct,  and  arrives  at  unity 
through  the  supernatural  deification  of  man.  This  pagan 
superstition  is  manifest  in  the  divine  honors  paid  to  the 
earth,  as  the  immortal  and  prolific  mother  of  the  gods ; 
and  likewise  in  the  worship  of  various  creatures,  whom 
they  confounded  with  their  gods.  Lastly,  the  difference 
between  Pantheism  and  Catholicism  is  not,  that  the  one 


62 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


affirms  and  the  other  denies  the  deification  of  man, 
but  that  Pantheism  asserts  that  man  is  God  in  virtue  of 
his  own  nature ;  while  Christianity  teaches  that  man 
may  become  as  God,  supernaturally,  through  grace. 
Pantheism  teaches  that  man,  a  part  of  the  being  which 
is  God,  is  completely  absorbed  by  the  being  of  which  he 
forms  a  part;  while  Catholicism  teaches  that  man,  even 
after  being  deified,  that  is  to  say,  penetrated  with  the 
divine  essence,  yet  preserves  inviolate  the  individuality 
of  his  own  existence.  The  respect  which  God  has  for 
human  individuality,  or,  what  is  the  same  thing,  for  the 
free  will  of  man,  which  is  what  constitutes  his  absolute 
and  inviolable  individuality,  is  so  great,  according  to 
Catholic  dogma,  that  God  has  been  willing  to  divide 
with  it  the  direction  of  all  human  associations,  which 
are  governed  both  by  the  freedom  of  man  and  by  the 
divine  counsel.  Love  is  in  its  nature  fruitful,  and  be¬ 
cause  it  is  fruitful,  it  engenders  diversity  without  impair¬ 
ing  its  own  unity;  and  because  it  is  love,  it  resolves  all 
things  into  one,  without  blending  them.  Love  is,  then, 
infinite  variety  and  infinite  unity.  It  is  the  sole  law, 
the  highest  rule,  the  only  way,  the  last  end.  Catholi¬ 
cism  is  love,  because  God  is  love.  Only  he  who  loves 
is  Catholic,  and  only  the  Catholic  learns  the  true  nature 
of  love,  because  he  alone  receives  what  he  knows  through 
supernatural  and  divine  means. 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


63 


CHAPTER  V. 

That  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  has  not  triumphed  over  the  world 
by  the  sanctity  of  his  doctrines,  or  by  prophecies  and  mira¬ 
cles,  but  in  spite  of  all  these  things. 


The  Father  is  love,  and  through  love  he  sent  his  Son 
into  the  world;  the  Son  is  love,  and  he  sent  the  Holy- 
Ghost  through  love ;  the  Holy  Ghost  is  love,  and  he 
inspires  the  Church  perpetually  with  his  love;  the  Church 
is  love,  and  she  will  inflame  the  world  with  the  same 
spirit  of  love.  Those  who  do  not  comprehend,  or  who 
have  forgotten  this,  are  entirely  ignorant  of  the  super¬ 
natural  and  secret  cause  of  evident  and  natural  phe¬ 
nomena  ;  of  the  invisible  cause  of  all  that  is  visible ; 
of  that  which  binds  the  temporal  to  the  eternal ;  of  the 
most  secret  impulses  of  the  soul ;  and  of  the  manner  in 
which  the  Holy  Spirit  acts  in  man,  Providence  in  society, 
and  God  in  history. 

Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  did  not  conquer  the  world  by 
his  wonderful  doctrine.  Had  he  only  been  a  teacher  of 
surprising  tenets,  the  world  would  have  admired  him  for 
a  moment,  and  then  forgotten  both  the  doctrine  and  the 
man.  Astonishing  as  was  his  doctrine,  it  was  only  em¬ 
braced  by  a  few  among  the  common  people,  always 
despised  by  the  greater  portion  of  the  Jewish  nation, 
and  w’as  unknown  to  mankind  during  the  life  of  the 
Master. 

Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  did  not  conquer  the  world  by 
his  miracles.  Among  those  who  saw  him  change  the 


64 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


nature  of  things  by  his  word  alone,  who  saw  him  walk 
upon  the  waters,  quiet  the  sea,  calm  the  winds,  and  re¬ 
store  the  dead  to  life,  some  called  him  God,  others  devil, 
and  others  again,  a  juggler  and  a  magician. 

Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  did  not  conquer  the  world  be¬ 
cause  the  ancient  prophecies  were  fulfilled  in  him.  The 
synagogue,  which  had  the  keeping  of  them,  was  not  con¬ 
verted,  nor  the  doctors  who  knew  these  prophecies  by 
heart,  nor  the  multitude  who  had  learned  them  from  the 
doctors. 

Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  did  not  conquer  the  world  by 
the  power  of  truth.  The  essential  truth  of  Christianity 
was  in  the  Old  as  in  the  New  Testament,  as  it  is  neces¬ 
sarily  one,  eternal,  and  the  same.  This  truth,  which 
existed  forever  in  the  mind  of  God,  was  revealed  to  man, 
instilled  into  his  soul,  and  preserved  in  history,  from  the 
first  promulgation  of  the  divine  word  to  the  world.  Yet 
the  Old  Testament,  both  in  its  eternal  and  essential  teach¬ 
ings,  and  in  what  was  secondary,  local,  and  contingent, 
both  in  its  dogmas  and  its  rites,  never  passed  beyond 
the  territory  of  the  chosen  people  of  God.  This  people 
were  many  times  guilty  of  rebellion,  they  persecuted 
their  prophets,  treated  their  doctors  with  derision,  wor¬ 
shiped  the  idols  of  the  heathen  nations,  made  unlawful 
covenants  with  infernal  spirits,  gave  themselves  up,  body 
and  soul,  to  horrible  and  bloody  superstitions;  and, 
finally,  when  the  Word  became  flesh,  cursed  him,  denied 
him,  and  crucified  him  on  Calvary.  And  while  the 
Truth  was  crucified,  which  had  been  hidden  in  the  an¬ 
cient  symbols,  represented  in  the  ancient  types,  an¬ 
nounced  by  the  prophets  of  old,  and  attested  by  striking 
prodigies  and  stupendous  miracles ;  while  this  Truth 
came  by  its  presence  to  explain  the  meaning  of  those 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


65 


prodigies  and  of  those  stupendous  miracles,  in  order  to 
accomplish  prophecy  and  teach  the  nations  the  significa¬ 
tion  of  what  was  represented  by  ancient  types  and  hid¬ 
den  in  ancient  symbols;  at  this  very  time  error  had 
spread  over  the  whole  wTorld,  and  had  obscured  the 
entire  horizon ;  and  all  this  with  the  greatest  rapidity, 
and  unaided  by  prophets,  symbols,  types,  and  miracles. 
What  a  terrible  lesson  and  memorable  example  for  those 
who  believe  that  the  recondite  and  expansive  force  of 
truth  will,  in  itself,  suffice  to  prevail  over  the  radical 
impotency  of  error  throughout  the  world ! 

If  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  overcame  the  world,  He  did 
it  in  spite  of  being  the  Truth,  in  spite  of  being  the  one 
.  announced  by  the  prophets  of  old,  represented  by  an¬ 
cient  symbols,  and  prefigured  by  ancient  types;  lie  over¬ 
came  it  in  spite  of  his  prodigious  miracles  and  most 
wonderful  doctrine.  No  other  doctrine  than  that  of  the 
Gospel  could  have  triumphed  with  this  immense  mass  of 
clearest  testimony,  irrefragable  proof,  and  unanswerable 
argument.  It  is  true  that  Mahometanism  spread  like  a 
deluge  over  the  African,  Asiatic,  and  European  conti¬ 
nents,  but  there  was  nothing  in  it  to  embarrass  its  prog¬ 
ress,  and  all  its  miracles,  arguments,  and  proofs  were 
established  at  the  sword’s  point. 

Fallen  and  corrupt  man  has  not  been  made  for  the 
truth,  nor  the  truth  for  him.  Since  man’s  prevarica¬ 
tion,  God  has  placed  between  truth  and  human  reason 
an  unconquerable  and  imperishable  repugnance.  Truth, 
by  its  very  nature,  claims  supremacy,  and  cannot  con¬ 
sent  to  solicit  obedience  as  a  favor ;  while,  since  he  re¬ 
belled  against  God,  man  insists  upon  being  governed  by 
his  own  will,  and  refuses  to  receive  any  yoke  imposed 
upon  him  without  his  consent.  Therefore,  when  truth 

7 


66  ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 

is  presented  to  him,  he  immediately  denies  it,  and  in  so 
doing  asserts  his  own  absolute  sovereignty.  If  he  can¬ 
not  deny  it,  he  combats  it,  and  in  so  doing  strives  to 
assert  his  own  supremacy.  If  he  conquers  truth,  he 
crucifies  it ;  if  he  is  conquered  by  it,  he  flies,  and  by 
flight  he  believes  that  he  escapes  from  servitude ;  and 
in  crucifying  truth,  he  believes  that  he  crucifies  his 
tyrant. 

There  is,  on  the  contrary,  a  secret  and  close  affinity 
between  human  reason  and  absurdity.  Sin  has  united 
them  by  the  bonds  of  an  indissoluble  alliance.  Absurd¬ 
ity  triumphs  over  man,  precisely  because  it  possesses  no 
right  anterior  and  superior  to  human  reason ;  man  ac¬ 
cepts  it  precisely  on  that  account,  because,  having  no 
right,  it  makes  no  pretensions.  His  will  accepts  it, 
because  it  is  the  child  of  his  understanding ;  and  his 
reason  delights  in  it,  because  it  is  its  own  offspring,  its 
own  creation,  and  the  living  testimony  of  its  creative 
power.  In  the  act  of  its  creation  man  resembles  God, 
and  he  calls  himself  God ;  and  if  he  is  God  after  the 
manner  of  God,  all  the  rest  is  but  of  little  consequence 
to  him.  What  matters  it  that  the  other  be  the  God 
of  truth,  if  he  himself  be  the  God  of  absurdity?  At 
least  he  will  be  independent  and  sovereign  like  God. 
In  worshiping  his  own  work  he  will  adore  himself ;  and 
in  exalting  it  he  will  exalt  himself.  You  who  aspire  to 
subjugate  people,  to  rule  nations,  and  to  control  human 
reason,  proclaim  not  that  you  are  the  depositaries  of  clear 
and  evident  truths;  above  all,  beware  of  producing  your 
proofs,  if  you  have  them,  because  the  world  will  never 
acknowledge  your  authority,  but  will  rather  rebel  against 
the  rude  yoke,  which  such  evidence  would  impose  upon 
them.  Proclaim,  on  the  contrary,  that  you  possess  an 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM.  67 

argument  which  will  disprove  a  mathematical  truth, 
which  will  demonstrate  that  two  and  two  do  not  make 
four,  but  five;  that  there  is  no  God,  or  that  man  is  God; 
that  the  world  has  until  now  been  the  slave  of  shameful 
superstitions ;  that  the  wisdom  of  ages  is  simply  pure 
ignorance ;  that  all  revelation  is  an  imposture ;  that  all 
government  is  tyranny  and  all  obedience  slavery;  that 
beauty  is  deformity  and  deformity  most  beautiful ;  that 
good  is  evil  and  evil  is  good ;  that  the  devil  is  God  and 
God  is  the  devil;  that  beyond  this  world  there  is  neither 
hell  nor  heaven ;  that  the  world  we  inhabit  is,  and  has 
been,  a  real  hell,  but  that  man  can  transform  it  into  a 
true  paradise,  which  it  is  destined  to  become ;  that  lib¬ 
erty,  equality,  and  fraternity  are  dogmas  incompatible 
with  the  Christian  superstition ;  that  theft  is  an  impre¬ 
scriptible  right,  and  that  property  is  theft ;  that  order 
does  not  exist  except  in  anarchy,  and  that  there  is  no 
anarchy  without  order.  Announce  these  propositions, 
and  you  may  rest  assured  that,  at  the  mere  assertion  of 
such  things,  the  wrorld  will  wonder  at  your  wisdom,  and, 
fascinated  by  such  a  display  of  science,  will  listen  to 
your  opinions  with  the  greatest  attention  and  respect, 
if,  in  addition  to  the  good  sense  you  will  display  in 
offering  to  prove  these  statements,  you  make  no  attempt 
to  prove  any  one  of  them ;  or  if,  as  the  proof  of  these 
blasphemies  and  affirmations,  you  simply  reiterate  the 
very  same  things,  then  the  world  will  praise  you  beyond 
measure,  and  raise  you  to  the  skies.  If,  after  all  this, 
you  direct  attention  to  your  good  faith,  which  does  not 
fear  to  present  things  as  they  are,  unaided  by  the  vain 
show  of  futile  reasons  and  useless  historical  antecedents 
or  miracles,  and  thus  give  a  public  testimony  of  your 
belief  that  truth  will  triumph  of  itself ;  if,  finally,  you 


68 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


challenge  a  refutation  of  your  statements,  no  matter 
from  what  quarter  it  may  come — then  the  world,  in  an 
ecstasy  of  astonishment,  will  unanimously  proclaim  your 
magnanimity,  your  greatness,  and  your  success,  and  will 
pronounce  you  pious,  happy,  and  triumphant ! 

I  know  not  if  there  exists  anything  under  the  sun, 
more  vile  and  despicable  than  mankind,  outside  of  the 
Catholic  way. 

In  the  scale  of  degradation  and  vileness,  the  multi¬ 
tude  who  are  oppressed  by  tyrants  and  deceived  by 
sophists  are  the  most  degraded  and  abject;  the  soph¬ 
ists  who  deceive  them  rank  next ;  and  the  tyrants,  who 
sway  a  bloody  scepter  over  both,  are,  to  the  eye  of  the 
careful  observer,  the  least  debased  and  contemptible  of 
all.  The  first  idolaters  had  scarcely  abandoned  God, 
when  they  delivered  themselves  up  to  the  Babylonian 
tyrants.  We  see  ancient  paganism  going  from  one 
abyss  to  another,  from  sophism  to  sophism,  from  tyrant 
to  tyrant,  until  it  falls  into  the  hands  of  Caligula,  a 
horrid  and  frightful  monster  in  human  shape,  the  victim 
of  insensate  desires  and  bestial  inclinations.  Modern 
paganism  commenced  by  self-worship  in  the  person  of 
a  prostitute,  to  be  crushed  at  the  feet  of  Marat,  the 
cynical  and  bloody  tyrant,  and  the  cruel  Robespierre, 
who,  with  his  inexorable  and  ferocious  instincts,  was  the 
supreme  embodiment  of  human  vanity.  The  new  form 
of  paganism  is  destined  to  fall  into  a  still  more  profound 
and  obscure  abyss.  Already,  perhaps,  from  under  the 
depths  of  social  corruption,  the  monster  gains  strength, 
who  will  one  day  impose  upon  society  a  still  heavier  and 
more  shameless  yoke  than  any  it  has  as  yet  borne. 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


69 


CHAPTER  YI. 

That  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  has  triumphed  over  the  world 
exclusively  by  supernatural  means. 


When  I  shall  be  raised  on  high,  that  is  to  say,  on  the 
cross,  then  will  I  draw  all  things  unto  me ;  or,  in  other 
words,  then  will  my  dominion  and  my  victory  over  the 
world  be  assured.  Our  Lord  revealed  to  his  disciples, 
in  these  solemnly  prophetical  words,  how  little  availed 
for  the  conversion  of  the  world  the  prophecies  which 
announced  his  coming,  the  miracles  which  manifested 
his  omnipotence,  the  sanctity  of  his  doctrine,  the  testi¬ 
mony  of  his  glory;  and  how  powerful  in  effecting  that 
object  would  be  his  immense  love,  as  made  known  to  the 
world  by  his  crucifixion  and  death. 

“ Pgo  veni  in  nomine  Patris  mei ,  et  non  accipitis  me: 
si  alius  venerit  in  nomine  suo ,  ilium  accipietisP *  In 
these  words  our  Lord  announced  the  natural  triumph  of 
error  over  truth,  of  evil  over  good.  They  contain  the 
secret  of  the  universal  forgetfulness  of  God,  of  the  ter¬ 
rible  propagation  of  pagan  superstitions,  and  of  the 
gloomy  darkness  prevailing  over  the  world.  They  also 
foretell  the  spread  of  error  among  men,  the  tribulations 
of  the  Church,  the  persecutions  of  the  just,  the  victories 
of  the  sophists,  and  the  popularity  of  blasphemers. 
These  words  are  a  summary  of  history,  with  all  its 
scandals,  all  its  heresies,  and  all  its  revolutions.  They 


*  John,  v.  4,  3. 

7* 


70 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


also  explain  why  the  Jewish  people,  when  called  upon 
to  choose  between  Barabbas  and  Jesus,  condemned  Jesus 
and  liberated  Barabbas ;  and  why  the  world  to-day, 
having  the  power  of  choice  between  Catholic  theology 
and  socialism,  chooses  socialism  and  rejects  Catholi¬ 
cism  ;  and  why  human  discussions  result  in  the  denial 
of  the  evident  and  in  the  acceptance  of  the  absurd. 

We  find  included  in  these  truly  wonderful  words  the 
secret  of  all  that  our  fathers  witnessed,  of  all  that  our 
children  will  witness,  and  of  all  that  we  ourselves  see. 
No ;  it  is  impossible  for  any  one  to  go  to  the  Son,  that 
is,  to  discover  the  truth,  if  the  Father  do  not  call  him. 
These  are  profound  words,  which  attest  at  the  same  time 
the  omnipotence  of  God,  and  the  radical,  invincible 
impotence  of  mankind. 

But  the  Father  will  call,  and  the  nations  will  respond; 
the  Son  will  be  raised  on  the  cross,  and  will  draw  all 
men  unto  him.  This  is  the  saving  promise  of  the  super¬ 
natural  triumph  of  truth  over  error,  of  good  over  evil. 
This  is  the  promise  which  will  be  fulfilled  even  to  the 
end  of  time. 

“ Pater  mens  usque  modo  operatur :  et  ego  operor. 
Sicut  Pater.  .  .  .  sic  et  filius  quos  vult  vivijicat.”* 
“ JExpedit  vobis  ut  ego  vadam :  si  enim  non  abler 0, 
Paraclitus  non  veniet  ad  vos:  si  autem  abiero  mittam 
eum  ad 

Neither  the  tongues  of  all  the  doctors,  nor  the  pens 
of  all  the  scholars,  would  suffice  to  explain  all  that  is 
embraced  in  these  words.  They  proclaim  the  sovereign 
virtue  of  grace,  and  the  supernatural,  invisible,  and  per¬ 
manent  action  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  In  them  we  find  the 


*  John,  v.  17,  21. 


f  John,  xvi.  7. 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


71 


Catholic  supernaturalism,  with  its  infinite  fecundity  and 
its  unspeakable  marvels,  and,  above  all,  an  explanation 
of  the  greatest  and  most  inconceivable  of  wonders — the 
triumph  of  the  cross. 

Christianity,  humanly  speaking,  must  of  necessity 
have  succumbed:  First,  because  it  was  the  truth;  and 
secondly,  because,  it  adduced  in  its  support  the  most 
eloquent  testimony,  wonderful  miracles,  and  irrefraga¬ 
ble  proofs.  Mankind  have  never  failed  to  protest  against 
all  and  each  one  of  these  things ;  and  it  was  not  proba¬ 
ble,  nor  credible,  nor  in  any  way  possible,  that  they 
should  fail  to  protest  against  and  oppose  all  these  things 
when  united.  Hence  their  blasphemies,  protests,  and 
rebellions. 

But,  the  Just  One  was  crucified  through  love,  shed 
his  blood  through  love,  and  gave  up  his  life  through 
love ;  and  this  infinite  love,  this  most  precious  blood, 
merited  for  the  world  the  coming  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
Then  all  things  were  changed  by  faith,  because  reason 
was  conquered  by  faith,  and  nature  by  grace. 

How  admirable  in  his  works  is  God  !  how  wonderful 
in  his  designs !  how  sublime  in  his  thoughts !  Man  and 
truth  were  antagonistic ;  the  indomitable  pride  of  the 
one  could  not  brook  the  rude  and  imperious  evidence  of 
the  other.  God  tempered  this  evidence  of  truth,  by  vail¬ 
ing  it  in  a  transparent  cloud,  and  he  sent  faith  to 
man,  and  added  to  the  gift  this  compact,  saying,  “I 
will  divide  my  power  with  thee ;  I  will  tell  thee  what 
thou  hast  to  believe,  and  I  will  give  thee  strength  to  re¬ 
ceive  my  word,  but  I  will  not  oppress  thy  sovereign  will 
with  the  weight  of  evidence.  I  will  help  thee  to 
save  thyself,  but  I  will  leave  thee  the  power  to  lose 
thyself.  Work  out  thy  salvation  with  me,  or,  unaided 


72 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 

by  me,  lose  thyself  if  thou  wilt.  I  will  not  deprive  thee 
of  what  I  have  given  to  thee,  and  the  day  that  I  created 
thee  out  of  nothing  I  gave  to  thee  free  will.”  Such  was 
the  pact  that  God  made  with  man,  which,  by  the  grace 
of  God,  was  freely  accepted  by  him ;  and  in  this  way 
the  dogmatical  obscurity  of  Catholicism  saved  its  his¬ 
torical  evidence  from  certain  shipwreck.  Faith,  having 
a  greater  conformity  than  evidence  with  human  reason, 
saved  this  reason  from  destruction.  Truth  had  to  be 
proposed  by  faith,  in  order  to  be  accepted  by  man,  who 
is  naturally  disposed  to  rebel  against  the  tyranny  of 
evidence. 

The  same  Spirit  that  indicates  to  us  what  we  must 
believe,  and  gives  us  the  strength  to  accept  it,  likewise 
makes  known  to  us  what  we  must  do,  gives  us  the  wish 
to  perform  ity  and  assists  us  in  the  performance.  The 
wretchedness  of  man  is  so  great,  his  abjection  so  pro¬ 
found,  his  ignorance  so  absolute,  and  his  impotency  so 
radical,  that  he  cannot  of  himself  form  a  good  intention, 
nor  plan  any  great  design,  nor  conceive  an  earnest  de¬ 
sire  of  anything  that  will  please  God  or  save  his  soul. 
On  the  other  hand,  his  dignity  is  so  great,  his  nature  so 
noble,  his  origin  so  excellent,  his  end  so  glorious,  that 
God  himself  thinks  with  his  thought,  sees  with  his  eyes, 
walks  with  his  feet,  and  works  with  his  hands.  It  is 
God  who  supports  man  that  he  may  walk,  upholds  him 
that  he  may  not  falter,  and  gives  his  angels  charge  over 
him,  that  he  may  not  fall.  And  if,  notwithstanding  all 
this,  he  should  fall,  He  lifts  him  up,  restores  him,  gives 
him  the  wish  to  persevere,  and  aids  him  to  do  so.  For 
this  reason,  St.  Augustin  says,  we  believe  that  no  one 
finds  the  way  of  salvation  unless  God  calls  him,  and 
that  no  one  after  being  called  performs  works  unto  sal- 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


73 


vation,  if  God  does  not  aid  him.  In  effect,  God  thus 
speaks  in  the  gospel  of  St.  John,  xv.  4,  5 :  “ Manete  in 
me  et  ego  in  vobis.  Sicut  palmes  non  potest  ferre  fruc- 
tum  a  semetipso ,  nisi  manserit  in  vite;  sic  nec  vos ,  nisi 
in  me  manseritis.  Ego  sum  vitis :  vos  palmites  ;  qui 
manet  in  me ,  et  ego  in  eo ,  hie  fert  fructum  multum : 
quia  sine  me  nihil  potestis  facereD  The  Apostle,  in 
the  second  epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  iii.  4,  5,  says : 
uFiduciam  autem  talem  habemus  per  Christum  ad 
Deum ,  non  quod  sufficientes  simus  cogitare  aliquid  a 
nobis  quasi  ex  nobis:  sed  sufficientia  nostra  ex  Deo  est .” 
Holy  Job  confessed  the  same  radical  impotency  of  man 
in  the  affair  of  salvation,  when  he  said,  (ch.  xiv.):  “Who 
can  make  him  clean,  that  is  conceived  of  unclean  seed? 
Is  it  not  Thou  who  only  art  ?”  Moses  says,  (Exodus, 
ch.  xxxiv.):  “No  man  of  himself  is  innocent  before 
Thee.”  St.  Augustin,  in  the  inimitable  book  of  his 
Confessions ,  addressing  God,  says :  “  Lord,  give  me 
grace  to  do  what  thou  directest,  and  direct  what  seems 
best  unto  thee.”  So  that  in  the  same  manner  that  God 
declares  to  me  what  I  must  believe,  and  gives  me  strength 
to  believe  it,  he  declares  to  me  what  I  must  do,  and 
gives  me  grace  to  perform  what  he  has  ordained. 

What  mind  can  comprehend,  what  tongue  declare, 
what  pen  describe,  the  manner  in  which  God  performs 
these  wonderful  prodigies  in  man ;  and  how  he  leads 
him  in  the  way  of  salvation  with  mercy  and  justice, 
sweetness  and  power  ?  Who  can  define  the  boundaries 
of  this  spiritual  empire,  between  the  divine  will  and  the 
free  will  of  man  ?  Who  can  explain  how  they  co-oper¬ 
ate  without  confusion,  and  without  impairing  each  other? 
Only  one  thing  do  I  know,  0  Lord,  that  poor  and  hum¬ 
ble  as  I  am,  and  great  and  powerful  as  thou  art,  thou 


74 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


respectest  me  as  much  as  thou  lovest  me,  and  thou  lovest 
me  as  much  as  thou  respectest  me.  I  know  that  thou 
wilt  not  abandon  me  to  myself,  because,  without  thy  aid, 
I  can  do  nothing  but  forget  thee  and  lose  myself :  and 
I  know  that  thou  extendest  to  me  a  helping  hand  in  so 
mild,  so  loving,  and  so  tender  a  manner,  that  I  do  not 
feel  its  weight.  Thou  art  as  the  gentle  zephyr  and  as 
the  strong  north  wind.  Thou  compellest  me  as  the 
north  wind,  and  I  move  toward  thee  freely,  as  if  at¬ 
tracted  by  the  gentle  breeze.  Thou  urgest  me  to  ad¬ 
vance  by  the  force  of  a  potent  impulsion,  but  thou  dost 
not  constrain  me  except  by  entreaty.  It  is  I  who  act, 
and  yet  thou  dost  act  in  me.  Thou  comest  to  my  door, 
and  sweetly  callest  me,  and  if  I  do  not  answer,  thou 
waitest,  and  again  thou  dost  call.  I  know  that  I  can 
refuse  to  admit  thee,  and  lose  myself ;  and  I  can  like¬ 
wise  receive  thee,  and  save  myself.  But  I  also  know 
that  I  cannot  answer  thee  if  thou  dost  not  call  me,  and 
that  when  I  answer  thee,  I  reply  as  thou  instructest 
me;  thine  being  the  invitation,  and  thine  and  mine  being 
the  response.  I  know  that  I  can  do  nothing  without 
thee,  that  I  act  by  thee,  and  that  my  acts  are  meri¬ 
torious.  But  if  I  merit,  it  is  by  thy  aid,  as  it  is  through 
thy  aid  I  have  been  enabled  to  act.  When  thou  re- 
wardest  me  because  my  works  are  meritorious,  and  when 
I  merit  on  account  of  my  good  works,  thou  givest  me 
three  graces :  the  grace  of  recompense,  with  which  thou 
requitest  the  grace  of  merit,  which  thou  gavest  me,  and 
which  is  the  reward  of  the  grace  by  which  I  was  enabled 
to  act  through  thee.  Thou  art  like  the  mother,  and  I 
am  as  the  infant,  which  the  mother  encourages  to  walk, 
extending  her  hand  that  it  may  do  so,  and  when  it 
makes  the  attempt  embraces  it,  because  it  walks  guided 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


75 


by  her  hand.  I  know  that  if  I  write,  it  is  because  thou 
hast  inspired  me  with  the  desire  to  do  so,  and  that  I 
only  write  that  which  thou  teachest  me,  or  permittest 
me  to  write ;  I  believe  that  he  who  attempts  to  accom¬ 
plish  anything  without  thee,  neither  knoweth  thee,  nor 
is  he  a  Christian. 

I  beg  that  my  readers  will  pardon  a  laic  and  a  secular 
for  daring  to  enter  upon  the  abstruse  and  thorny  question 
of  grace.  But  all  must  acknowledge,  notwithstanding, 
that  the  discussion  of  this  vexed  question  was  an  impera¬ 
tive  exigency,  arising  from  the  very  grave  subject  that 
I  have  just  treated  in  the  preceding  chapters.  I  at¬ 
tempted  to  give  a  proper  explanation  of  that  prodigy — 
ever  ancient  and  ever  new — the  powerful  action  that 
Christianity  has  exercised  in  the  world,  in  order  to 
understand,  through  it,  the  no  less  stupendous  and  pro¬ 
digious  mystery  of  the  power  it  possesses  of  transform¬ 
ing  human  societies.  The  prodigy  of  its  propagation 
and  its  triumph  is  not  due  to  historical  proofs,  to  pro¬ 
phetical  predictions,  or  to  the  sanctity  of  its  doctrines. 
In  the  condition  to  which  man  was  reduced  by  the  pre¬ 
varication  and  the  fall,  all  these  were  circumstances 
rather  fitted  to  embarrass  Christianity  than  to  carry  it 
triumphant  to  the  remotest  corners  of  the  earth.  Neither 
had  miracles  any  part  in  working  this  prodigy,  because, 
although  considered  in  themselves,  they  certainly  are 
supernatural,  yet,  as  exterior  evidence,  they  only  con¬ 
stitute  a  natural  proof,  subjected  to  the  same  conditions 
as  other  human  testimony.  The  propagation  and  the 
triumph  of  Christianity  are  supernatural  facts,  because 
its  propagation  and  triumph  have  taken  place  in  spite 
of  its  containing  within  itself  all  the  elements  which 
would  have  impeded  its  advancement  and  victory.  As 


76 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


supernatural  facts  they  could  not  be  legitimately  ex¬ 
plained,  without  referring  to  a  cause  which,  in  its  nature 
supernatural,  must  have  had  an  exterior  manifestation 
in  conformity  with  its  own  essence,  that  is,  supernatural. 
This  cause,  which  is  supernatural  in  itself  and  super¬ 
natural  in  its  action,  is  grace. 

Grace  was  merited  for  us  by  our  Lord  when  he  suf¬ 
fered  a  frightful  death  on  the  cross,  and  the  Apostles 
received  it,  when  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  author  of  all 
grace  and  of  all  sanctification,  descended  upon  them. 
The  Holy  Ghost  infused  into  the  Apostles  the  grace 
which  was  merited  for  us  by  the  death  of  the  Son, 
through  the  compassion  of  the  Father.  The  Holy  Trin¬ 
ity  in  this  manner  effected  the  ineffable  work  of  our 
salvation,  as  before  it  had  created  the  world. 

This  helps  to  explain  two  things,  which  otherwise 
would  be  quite  unintelligible,  namely,  why  it  was  that 
the  Apostles  performed  greater  miracles  than  their  Di¬ 
vine  Master,  and  why  their  miracles  were  productive  of 
greater  results  than  those  of  our  Lord,  as  he  himself 
repeatedly  and  on  different  occasions  foretold  to  them. 
The  reason  is  that,  during  the  prolongation  of  ages, 
extending  from  the  days  of  Adam  to  the  end  of  time, 
the  universal  redemption  of  mankind  was  to  be  the  price 
of  the  bloody  tragedy  on  the  cross ;  and  until  this 
sacrifice  was  consummated,  the  gates  of  the  heavenly 
mansions  were  firmly  closed  against  the  unfortunate  race 
of  Adam. 

In  the  fullness  of  time,  the  Spirit  of  God  descended 
upon  the  Apostles  like  a  whirlwind,  under  the  form  of 
tongues  of  fire.  Then  it  came  to  pass  that,  without  any 
transition  whatever,  they  were  instantly  and  completely 
renewed,  by  the  action  of  a  supernatural  and  divine 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


77 


power.  The  Apostles  were  the  first  to  experience  this 
change.  They  had  not  seen,  and  their  eyes  were 
opened ;  they  had  not  comprehended,  and  they  were 
enlightened ;  they  were  ignorant,  and  they  became 
wise ;  their  language  had  been  vulgar,  and  now  they  dis¬ 
coursed  of  wonderful  things.  The  malediction  of  Babel 
was  removed.  Until  then,  each  nation  had  spoken  its 
own  tongue ;  the  Apostles  spoke  them  all  without  con¬ 
fusion.  They  had  been  pusillanimous,  and  they  became 
courageous ;  they  had  been  cowardly,  and  they  became 
intrepid ;  they  had  been  indolent,  and  they  became  dili¬ 
gent.  They  had  forsaken  their  Master  for  the  flesh  and 
the  world,  and  now  they  abandoned  the  world  and  the 
flesh  for  their  Master ;  they  had  deserted  the  cross  to 
save  their  lives,  and  now  they  gave  their  lives  to  em¬ 
brace  the  cross.  They  died  in  their  members,  that  their 
souls  might  live,  and  be  renewed  in  God ;  they  ceased 
to  be  as  men,  and  lived  like  angels ;  they  no  longer  lived 
a  human  life. 

As  the  Holy  Spirit  transformed  the  Apostles,  the 
Apostles  transformed  the  world ;  yet  not  they  in  truth, 
but  the  invincible  spirit  that  wTas  infused  into  them. 
The  world  had  seen  God,  and  had  not  known  him ;  and, 
now  that  he  was  no  longer  with  it,  it  acknowledged  him. 
It  had  not  believed  in  his  word,  and,  now  that  he  no 
longer  spoke  to  it,  it  believed  in  his  word.  It  had  wit¬ 
nessed  his  miracles  in  vain,  and,  now  that  he  had  gone 
to  his  Father,  it  received  them  as  true.  It  had  crucified 
Jesus,  and  now  it  adored  him  whom  it  had  crucified.  It 
had  worshiped  idols,  and  now  it  destroyed  them.  What 
it*had  considered  as  fallacious  arguments,  it  now  assented 
to  as  invincible  and  victorious  truths.  Its  profound 
hatred  was  changed  into  love. 

8 


78 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


He  who  has  no  idea  of  grace,  has  no  idea  of  Chris¬ 
tianity;  and  he  who  takes  no  heed  of  the  providence  of 
God,  is  in  the  most  complete  ignorance  of  all  things. 
Providence,  understood  in  its  most  general  acceptation, 
is  the  care  of  the  Creator  over  all  things  created. 
Things  exist,  because  God  created  them  ;  but  they 
would  cease  to  exist  without  his  constant  protection, 
which  is  truly  an  unceasing  creation.  That  which,  pre¬ 
vious  to  its  creation,  had  in  itself  no  necessity  of  exist¬ 
ence,  has  no  inherent  power  of  continuance  after  its 
creation.  God  alone  is  life,  and  the  reason  of  life ; 
being,  and  the  reason  of  being ;  subsistence,  and  the 
reason  of  subsistence.  Nothing  exists,  nothing  lives, 
and  nothing  subsists  of  itself.  Outside  of  God,  these 
supreme  attributes  have  no  existence.  God  does  not 
resemble  the  artist  who,  after  making  a  picture,  leaves, 
abandons,  and  forgets  his  work  ;  nor  does  that  wThich 
God  creates  subsist  like  the  painting,  which  subsists  of 
itself.  God  created  things  in  a  more  sovereign  manner, 
and  after  their  creation  they  depend  on  him  in  a  more 
substantial  and  more  excellent  way.  Those  which  be¬ 
long  to  the  natural  order,  to  the  supernatural,  and  also 
those  which,  out  of  the  common,  natural,  and  supernat¬ 
ural  order  are  called,  and  really  are,  miraculous,  though 
they  cease  not  to  have  points  of  difference,  under  the 
distinct  laws  which  govern  them,  still  retain  in  common 
their  absolute  dependence  on  the  divine  will.  We  do 
not  affirm  all  that  may  be  affirmed  wdth  regard  to  fount¬ 
ains  and  trees,  when  we  assert  that  the  former  flow 
and  the  latter  bear  fruit,  because  this  is  their  nature. 
Things  possess  no  inherent  virtue  of  their  own,  inde¬ 
pendent  of  the  will  of  their  Creator,  but  only  a  certain 
determined  mode  of  their  existence,  which  leaves  them 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


79 


in  an  unceasing  dependence  upon  the  will  of  the  sov¬ 
ereign  Maker  and  divine  Architect.  The  fountains  flow 
and  the  trees  bear  fruit,  because  God  has  so  ordained 
them  through  a  positive  law,  and  he  orders  their  course 
now,  as  in  the  day  of  their  creation,  because  he  sees 
that  it  is  good  to  do  so.  Consequently,  we  perceive 
how  mistaken  are  those  persons  who  seek  the  ultimate 
explanation  of  events,  either  in  their  secondary  causes, 
which  exist  entirely  under  the  general  and  particular 
care  of  God,  or  in  chance,  which  has  no  existence  what¬ 
ever.  God  alone  is  creator  of  all  that  exists,  and  pre¬ 
server  of  all  that  subsists,  and  the  author  of  all  that 
happens,  as  we  learn  from  these  words  of  Ecclesiasticus, 
xi.  14 :  “ Bona  et  mala ,  vita  et  mors ,  paupertas  et  hones- 
tas,  a  Deo  sunt.”  For  this  reason,  St.  Basil  says,  that 
to  refer  all  to  God,  is  the  sum  of  all  Christian  philoso¬ 
phy  ;  and  in  conformity  with  what  our  Saviour  says  in  St. 
Matthew,  x.  29,  30 :  uNonne  duo  pas  seres  asse  vseneunt ? 
JEt  unus  ex  illis  non  cadet  super  terrain  sinepatre  vestro. 
Vestri  autem  capilli  capitis  omnes  numerati  sunt.” 

Regarding  things  from  this  height,  we  clearly  see  that 
the  natural  depends  on  God  in  the  same  manner  as  the 
supernatural  and  the  miraculous.  The  miraculous,  the 
supernatural  and  the  natural,  are  substantially  identical 
phenomena,  on  account  of  their  origin,  which  is  the  will 
of  God — a  will  which  is  actually  exercised  over  them 
all — and  is  in  all  eternal.  God  actually  and  eternally 
intended  the  resurrection  of  Lazarus,  even  as  he  actually 
and  eternally  intended  that  the  trees  should  fructify. 
And  the  trees,  apart  from  the  will  of  God,  have  no  in¬ 
herent  power  to  produce  fruit,  more  than  Lazarus  had 
to  rise  from  the  grave  after  death.  The  difference  be¬ 
tween  these  phenomena  is  not  in  their  essence,  because 


80 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


both  alike  depend  on  the  divine  will,  but  in  the  mode  of 
their  dependence,  because  in  these  two  cases  the  divine 
will  is  simply  effected  and  accomplished  in  different 
ways,  and  in  virtue  of  distinct  laws.  One  of  these  two 
modes  is  called,  and  is,  natural;  and  the  other  is  called, 
and  is,  supernatural.  Men  designate  daily  prodigies, 
natural,  and  those  which  occur  at  intervals,  miraculous. 
Wherefore  we  see  how  great  is  the  folly  of  those  who 
deny  the  power  of  performing  occasional  prodigies  to 
Him  who  works  daily  miracles.  What  is  this  but  to 
deny  to  Him  who  does  greater  things,  the  power  to  do 
less  things;  or,  what  amounts  to  the  same  thing,  to  deny 
the  occasional  power  of  creation  to  Him  who  incessantly 
creates  ?  You,  who  deny  the  resurrection  of  Lazarus, 
because  it  is  a  miraculous  work,  why  do  you  not  refuse 
to  believe  other  and  greater  prodigies  ?  Why  not  deny 
the  existence  of  the  sun,  when  it  rises  in  the  east,  and 
of  the  beautiful  and  refulgent  expanse  of  the  heavens, 
with  their  eternal  luminaries  ?  Why  not  deny  the  ex¬ 
istence  of  the  turbulent  and  majestic  oceans,  and  of  their 
smooth  and  placid  shores,  where  their  stormy  waves 
humbly  die?  Why  not  deny  the  existence  of  the  sweet, 
breathing  fields ;  of  forests,  the  retreat  of  silence,  ma¬ 
jesty,  and  shade ;  the  mighty  fall  of  immense  cataracts, 
and  the  dazzling  crystal  of  clearest  fountains  ?  But  if 
you  do  not  deny  these  things,  what  madness  and  palpa¬ 
ble  inconsistency  to  reject  as  impossible,  or  even  as  diffi¬ 
cult,  the  resurrection  of  a  man !  Whether  we  view  what 
surrounds  us,  or  examine  into  our  interior  life,  all  that 
we  behold,  within  us  as  well  as  around  us,  is  miracu¬ 
lous. 

It  follows  from  the  above,  that  the  distinction  on 
the  one  side,  between  the  natural  and  the  supernatural, 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM.  81 

and  on  the  other,  between  the  ordinary  phenomena  of 
the  natural  and  supernatural  order  and  miraculous  facts, 
neither  supposes,  nor  can  suppose,  any  rivalry  or  hidden 
antagonism  between  that  which  exists  by  the  will  of  God 
and  that  which  has  a  natural  existence,  because  God  is 
the  author,  preserver,  and  sovereign  director  of  all 
things. 

All  these  distinctions,  beyond  their  dogmatic  limits, 
have  resulted  in  what  we  see — the  deification  of  the 
material,  and  the  absolute  and  radical  negation  of  Provi¬ 
dence  and  grace. 

Finally,  to  resume  the  thread  of  this  argument:  Provi¬ 
dence  is  a  universal  grace,  in  virtue  of  which  all  things 
are  maintained  and  governed  according  to  the  divine 
counsel,  as  grace  is  a  special  providence,  by  which  God 
takes  care  of  man.  The  dogmas  of  Providence  and  of 
grace  reveal  to  us  the  existence  of  a  supernatural  world, 
where  we  find  the  reason  and  cause  of  all  that  we  see. 
Without  the  light  which  we  receive  from  this  direction, 
all  is  darkness ;  without  the  explanation  herein  found, 
all  is  inexplicable ;  without  this  solution  and  this  light, 
all  is  phenomenal,  ephemeral,  and  contingent,  all  things 
are  as  smoke  that  melts  away,  as  phantasms  that  vanish, 
shadows  that  disappear,  and  dreams  that  have  no  reality. 
We  find  the  supernatural  above  us,  around  us,  and  within 
us.  It  surrounds  the  natural,  and  penetrates  it  every¬ 
where. 

The  knowledge  of  the  supernatural  is  then  the  foun¬ 
dation  of  all  the  sciences,  and  especially  so  of  the  polit¬ 
ical  and  moral  sciences.  It  is  useless  to  attempt  to 
explain  the  existence  of  man  without  grace,  or  of  so¬ 
ciety  without  Providence;  for,  deprived  of  these,  society 

8* 


82 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


and  man  would  remain  an  unfathomable  mystery  to 
mankind. 

The  importance  of  this  demonstration,  and  its  trans¬ 
cendent  height  as  a  stand-point,  will  be  better  seen  far¬ 
ther  on,  when  we  shall  sketch  the  sad  and  lamentable 
picture  of  our  wanderings  and  our  errors;  and  we  shall 
find  them  all  to  arise,  as  from  a  fountain-head,  from  the 
negation  of  the  Catholic  supernaturalism.  In  this  con¬ 
nection  I  may  add,  that  the  constant  and  supernatural 
action  of  God  upon  society  and  upon  man,  is  the  wide 
and  secure  basis  on  which  the  edifice  of  Catholic  doc¬ 
trine  rests ;  and  that,  deprived  of  this  fundamental  prin¬ 
ciple,  this  great  edifice,  in  which  the  human  race  has  free 
movement,  falls  leveled  to  the  earth. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

That  the  Catholic  Church  has  triumphed  over  society,  notwith¬ 
standing  the  same  obstacles,  and  by  the  same  supernatural 
means  which  rendered  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  victorious  over 
the  world. 

The  Catholic  Church,  as  a  religious  institution,  has 
exercised  the  same  influence  in  society  that  Catholicism, 
as  a  doctrine,  has  exercised  in  the  world ;  the  same  that 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  has  exercised  in  man.  And  the 
reason  is  this:  that  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  his  doctrine 
and  his  Church,  are  in  reality  only  three  different  mani¬ 
festations  of  the  same  thing ;  that  is,  the  divine  action 
supernaturally  and  simultaneously  working  in  man  and 
in  all  his  faculties,  in  society  and  in  all  its  institutions, 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  Catholicism,  and  the  Catholic 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


83 


Church,  are  the  same  word — the  word  of  God  perpetu¬ 
ally  resounding  from  the  heavens. 

His  word  has  had  the  same  obstacles  to  overcome, 
and  has  triumphed  by  the  same  means,  in  its  various 
incarnations.  The  prophets  of  Israel  had  announced 
the  coming  of  the  Lord  in  the  fullness  of  time;  they 
had  written  his  life;  they  had  sighed  over  his  awTful 
sorrows ;  they  had  described  his  labors ;  they  had 
counted,  one  by  one,  the  drops  which  made  up  the  ocean 
of  his  tears ;  they  had  seen  him  reviled,  and  in  deepest 
anguish;  they  had  beheld  his  passion  and  death.  In 
spite  of  all  this  the  people  of  Israel  did  not  know  him 
when  he  came,  and  accomplished  all  the  prophecies  with¬ 
out  remembering  the  prophets.  The  life  of  our  Lord 
was  most  holy;  he  alone  had  dared  to  utter  before  men 
those  words,  either  stupidly  blasphemous  or  ineffably 
divine,  ‘‘which  of  you  will  convince  me  of  sin?”  Not¬ 
withstanding  these  words,  never  before  or  since  pro¬ 
nounced  by  man,  the  world  knew  him  not,  and  covered 
him  with  reproach.  His  doctrine  was  wonderful  and 
true;  so  much  so  that  it  rendered  all  things  fragrant 
with  its  great  sweetness,  and  irradiated  them  with  its 
serene  splendor.  Each  word  that  fell  so  gently  from 
his  sacred  lips  was  an  astonishing  revelation;  each  rev¬ 
elation  contained  a  divine  truth,  and  each  truth  was 
fraught  with  hope  and  consolation.  And  yet  the  peo¬ 
ple  of  Israel  shut  their  eyes  to  the  light,  and  closed 
their  hearts  against  these  extraordinary  consolations 
and  sublime  hopes.  He  performed  miracles  never  be¬ 
fore  witnessed  nor  heard  of ;  and  yet  they  avoided  him 
with  horror,  like  one  infected  with  leprosy,  or  as  if  he 
bore  a  curse  set  upon  his  brow  by  the  divine  anger  and 
by  men  and  nations.  Even  one  of  his  disciples  whom 


84 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


he  tenderly  loved  heeded  not  his  imploring  and  caressing 
accents,  and  fell  from  the  height  of  the  apostolate  into 
the  abyss  of  treason. 

From  the  beginning  of  time  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  was  announced  by  great  prophets,  and  repre¬ 
sented  by  symbols  and  figures.  In  laying  her  immortal 
foundations  and  forming  her  divine  hierarchy  upon  a 
superhuman  model,  her  divine  Author  made  known  her 
future  history  to  his  Apostles.  He  announced  to  them 
her  great  tribulations  and  unexampled  persecutions,  and 
they  beheld  the  bloody  procession  of  her  confessors  and 
martyrs.  He  foretold  that  the  powers  of  the  world  and 
of  hell  would  combine  to  form  horrible  and  sacrilegious 
alliances  against  her,  and  how,  by  the  power  of  grace, 
she  should  triumph  over  all  their  machinations.  His 
divine  vision  penetrated  through  the  prolongation  of 
ages,  and  he  predicted  the  end  of  all  things,  the  immor¬ 
tality  of  the  Church,  and  her  transformation  into  the 
celestial  Jerusalem,  clothed  in  light,  glittering  with 
jewels,  filled  with  glory,  and  diffusing  the  sweetest  fra¬ 
grance.  And  yet  the  world,  which  has  beheld  the 
Church  always  persecuted  and  always  triumphant;  which 
could  number  and  has  numbered  her  victories  by  her 
tribulations,  furnishes  her  continually  the  occasions  of 
new  victories  by  subjecting  her  to  new  trials,  thus 
blindly  fulfilling  the  great  prophecy,  even  while  it  for¬ 
gets  alike  the  prophecy  and  the  prophet.  The  Church 
is  perfect  and  most  holy,  as  her  divine  Founder  was 
perfect  and  most  holy.  She  likewise,  and  she  alone, 
has  been  able  to  pronounce  before  the  world  that  word, 
never  before  heard,  “who  shall  convince  me  of  error, 
who  shall  convince  me  of  sin?”  And  in  spite  of  this  as¬ 
tonishing  word,  the  world  contradicts  and  pursues  her 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


85 


with  unceasing  contumely.  Her  doctrine  is  marvelous 
and  true,  because  it  is  the  teaching  of  the  great  Master 
of  all  truth,  who  is  the  great  source  of  all  wonders; 
and  yet  the  world  seeks  for  knowledge  in  the  schools  of 
error,  and  gives  an  attentive  ear  to  the  vain  eloquence 
of  shameless  sophists  and  obscure  impostors.  The 
Church  has  received  from  her  divine  Founder  the  power 
of  working  miracles,  and  performs  them,  being  herself  a 
perpetual  miracle;  and  yet  the  world  treats  this  as  a 
vain  and  shameful  superstition,  and  she  is  held  up  as  an 
object  of  scorn  to  men  and  nations.  Her  own  children, 
so  tenderly  loved,  have  raised  their  sacrilegious  hands 
against  this  most  tender  mother,  have  abandoned  the 
sacred  home  that  protected  their  infancy,  and  sought  in 
new  families  and  in  new  homes  disgraceful  pleasures 
and  unchaste  loves.  In  this  way  the  Church  follows  the 
predicted  path  of  her  dolorous  passion,  unknown  to  the 
world  and  disowned  by  heresiarchs. 

And,  what  is  singular  and  admirable  in  this,  and  in 
perfect  imitation  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  is  that  the 
Church  does  not  suffer  tribulations  because  the  world  has 
forgotten  the  prodigies  she  works,  the  life  she  lives,  the 
truths  she  teaches,  and  the  invincible  testimonies  that 
prove  the  divinity  of  her  mission ;  but,  on  the  contrary, 
she  is  persecuted  on  account  of  these  invincible  testi¬ 
monies,  on  account  of  the  truths  she  teaches,  the  sanc¬ 
tity  of  her  life,  and  the  miracles  she  performs.  Sup¬ 
press  these  but  for  a  moment,  and  you  will  put  an  end 
at  one  blow  and  at  once  to  all  these  tribulations,  tears, 
misfortunes,  and  privations. 

The  mystery  of  her  persecutions  lies  in  the  truths 
which  she  proclaims;  the  mystery  of  her  victories  is 
found  in  the  supernatural  force  which  assists  her;  and 


86 


JKSSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


these  two  things  united  explain  both  her  triumphs  and 
her  afflictions. 

The  supernatural  strength  of  grace  is  perpetually 
communicated  to  the  faithful  through  the  ministry  of 
the  priests  and  through  the  channel  of  the  sacraments; 
and  this  supernatural  strength,  imparted  in  this  way  to 
the  faithful,  who  are  at  the  same  time  members  of  a  civil 
society  and  of  the  Church,  is  what  has  produced  the 
wonderful  difference  between  ancient  and  Catholic  soci¬ 
eties,  even  in  a  political  and  social  aspect.  All  things 
carefully  considered,  there  is  no  other  difference  between 
these  societies  than  that  the  former  is  composed  of 
pagans,  and  the  latter  of  Christians;  that  in  pagan 
society  men  are  moved  by  natural  impulses,  while  in  the 
Christian  society  men  have  subdued  more  or  less  their 
own  nature,  and  obey  more  or  less  perfectly  the  super¬ 
natural  and  divine  impulsion  of  grace.  This  serves  to 
explain  the  difference  between  the  political  and  social 
institutions  of  the  ancients,  and  those  that  have  arisen, 
almost  spontaneously,  among  the  moderns;  for  institu¬ 
tions  are  the  social  expression  of  ideas  common  to  all ; 
these  ideas  are  the  collective  result  of  individual  thought, 
and  this  thought  is  the  intellectual  manifestation  of  the 
mode  of  being  and  feeling  of  man;  but  the  pagan  and 
the  Catholic  man  have  ceased  to  be  and  to  feel  in  the 
same  way;  one  representing  humanity  fallen  and  disin¬ 
herited,  the  other  humanity  redeemed.  Ancient  and 
modern  institutions  are  the  expression  of  two  different 
societies  only  because  they  represent  two  different  human¬ 
ities.  For  this  reason,  when  Catholic  societies  prevari¬ 
cate  and  fall,  it  happens  that  paganism  immediately 
gains  a  footing  in  them;  and  we  behold  ideas,  customs, 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


87 


institutions,  and  the  entire  society  relapsing  into  pagan¬ 
ism. 

*  If  we  abstract  for  a  moment  from  the  supernatual 
and  invisible  force  of  Catholicism,  whose  action  has 
slowly  and  silently  transformed  the  visible  and  natural 
by  means  of  its  mysterious  and  secret  operation,  all  be¬ 
comes  confused.  The  visible  and  the  invisible,  the  nat¬ 
ural  and  the  supernatural  are  alike  involved  in  obscu¬ 
rity;  and  all  our  explanations  become  false  hypotheses 
which  explain  nothing,  and  are  themselves  inexplica¬ 
ble. 

There  is  no  spectacle  more  melancholy  than  that  of  a 
man  of  enlightened  mind,  who  makes  the  impossible  and 
absurd  attempt  to  explain  things  visible  by  things  visi¬ 
ble,  and  the  natural  by  the  natural;  for  as  all  things 
visible  and  natural  are  in  their  quality  of  being  such 
identical,  it  would  be  as  absurd  as  to  explain  the  exist¬ 
ence  of  any  fact  by  the  fact  itself,  or  to  explain  any¬ 
thing  by  the  thing  itself.  Into  this  very  grave  error  a 
man  of  eminent  and  great  acquirements  has  fallen,  whose 
writings  it  is  impossible  to  read  without  a  sentiment  of 
profound  respect,  whose  discourses  inspire  high  admira¬ 
tion,  and  whose  personal  character  places  him  still  higher 
than  even  his  writings,  his  discourses,  or  his  talents. 
Mr.  Guizot  surpasses  all  contemporary  writers  in  the 
calm  view  that  he  takes  of  the  most  intricate  questions. 
His  judgment,  generally  speaking,  is  true  and  impartial. 
He  possesses  a  clear  diction,  a  temperate  style,  which, 
in  the  embellishments  of  language,  is  severely  modest. 
Even  his  great  eloquence  is  inferior  to,  and  controlled 
by,  his  reason.  However  elevated  a  question  may  be, 
whenever  Mr.  Guizot  handles  it  he  always  proves  him¬ 
self  superior  to  the  question.  When  he  describes  the 


88 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


phenomena  that  he  sees,  it  never  seems  as  if  he  described 
them,  but  rather  as  if  he  produced  them.  If  he  dis¬ 
cusses  party  questions,  he  points  out  their  relative  pro¬ 
portions  of  truth  and  error  with  so  delicate  a  discrimin¬ 
ation  that  it  does  not  seem  as  if  he  so  decided,  because 
of  their  merits  and  defects,  but  rather  that  these  merits 
and  defects  were  the  result  of  his  arrangement.  He 
usually  debates  as  if  he  instructed,  and  when  he  in¬ 
structs  he  seems  by  nature  to  be  invested  with  a  supe¬ 
rior  authority.  If  he  casually  speaks  of  religion,  his 
language  is  solemn,  formal,  and  austere;  and  were  it 
permitted  in  the  present  age  to  express  a  sentiment  of 
veneration,  he  would  be  reverential.  He  concedes  to  it 
a  great  influence  in  the  work  of  social  restoration,  as 
becomes  such  a  man  in  speaking  of  so  great  an  insti¬ 
tution.  Although  it  cannot  be  discovered  that  he  con¬ 
siders  religion  as  the  queen  and  mistress  of  all  other 
institutions,  it  may  be  affirmed  that  it  is  at  all  events  in 
his  eyes  as  an  amnestied  sovereign,  who,  even  in  the 
days  of  her  utmost  power,  still  retains  the  marks  of 
past  servitude.  The  distinguishing  characteristic  of  Mr. 
Guizot  is,  that  he  sees  well  all  that  he  observes,  and 
that  he  sees  whatever  is  visible,  and  considers  each  thing 
by  itself  and  separately.  The  weak  point  of  his  mind 
is  not  to  perceive  that  these  visible  things,  although  dis¬ 
tinct,  combine  to  form  a  harmonious,  hierarchical,  and 
united  body,  animated  by  an  invisible  force.  His  work, 
in  which  he  makes  an  exposition  of  European  civiliza¬ 
tion,  displays  his  eminent  characteristic  and  great  defect 
more  than  any  of  his  other  writings.  Mr.  Guizot  has 
seen,  in  this  complex  and  prolific  civilization,  all  that 
was  to  be  seen,  except  this  civilization  itself.  He  who 
wishes  to  discover  the  numerous  and  various  elements 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


89 


which  compose  it  will  find  them  in  his  work;  but  if  he 
wishes  to  find  the  powerful  unity  which  constitutes  that 
civilization,  the  principle  of  life  which  freely  circulates 
through  the  healthy  members  of  this  robust  and  vigor¬ 
ous  social  body,  he  will  not  find  it,  because  it  is  not 
there.  Mr.  Guizot  has  perfectly  investigated  all  the 
visible  elements  of  civilization,  and  has  analyzed  all 
that  they  contain  that  is  visible.  He  has  also  care¬ 
fully  examined  those  elements  which  contain  nothing 
that  falls  within  the  jurisdiction  of  the  senses.  But 
this  is  not  sufficient.  There  exists  yet  another  element, 
which  is  at  the  same  time  visible  and  invisible;  and  this 
element  is  the  Church.  The  Church  influences  society 
in  a  manner  analogous  to  the  other  political  and  social 
elements,  but  also  in  a  manner  peculiarly  her  own. 
Considered  as  an  institution  born  in  time,  and  made 
local  in  space,  her  influence  was  visible  and  limited,  like 
that  of  other  institutions  under  similar  conditions.  Con¬ 
sidered  as  a  divine  institution,  she  had  within  herself  an 
immense  supernatural  strength,  which  was  neither  sub¬ 
jected  to  the  laws  of  time  nor  to  those  of  space,  but 
exerted  a  silent,  secret,  and  supernatural  influence  that 
was  pre-eminent  and  everywhere  felt.  To  such  a  degree 
is  this  true  that,  amid  the  confusion  of  all  the  social 
elements  which  rendered  this  epoch  so  critical,  the  Church 
imparted  to  them  all  a  portion  of  that  which  was  pecu¬ 
liar  to  herself,  while  she  alone  remained  intact,  and 
always  preserved  her  absolute  identity.  Placed  in  con¬ 
tact  with  her,  the  Roman  society,  without  ceasing  to  be 
Roman,  became  that  which  it  had  never  been;  it  became 
Catholic.  And  so  of  the  Germanic  nations.  Political 
and  social  institutions,  without  losing  that  which  was 
peculiarly  their  own,  received  that  which  was  foreign  to 

9 


90 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


them — the  Catholic  nature.  And  Catholicism  was  not 
a  vain  form,  because  it  gave  no  form  to  any  institution, 
but  was,  on  the  contrary,  something  intimate  and  essen¬ 
tial,  and  for  this  reason  imparted  to  them  all  something 
profound  and  intimate.  Catholicism  does  not  disturb 
forms,  but  it  changes  the  substance  of  things;  and  at 
the  same  time  that  it  leaves  existing  forms  undisturbed 
and  changes  things  in  their  essence,  it  receives  indiffer¬ 
ently  from  society  its  various  forms.  For  example,  the 
Catholic  Church  was  feudal,  as  feudalism  was  Catholic; 
but  the  Church  did  not  receive  the  equivalent  of  what 
she  gave,  as  she  received  that  which  was  purely  exterior 
and  non-essential,  while  she  imparted  something  interior 
and  intimate,  wrhich  was  to  remain  as  essential. 

It  follows  from  this  that  in  the  common  mass  of  Euro¬ 
pean  civilization,  which,  like  all  other  civilizations,  and 
in  a  greater  measure  than  others,  is  composed  of  unity 
and  variety,  all  the  other  elements  combined  and  united 
only  give  it  what  it  possesses  of  a  diverse  or  varied 
character ;  while  to  the  Church,  and  to  the  Church  alone, 
it  is  indebted  for  its  unity.  But  in  its  unity  dwells  its 
very  essence,  and  that  from  which  every  institution 
derives  what  is  most  essential  to  it — its  name.  Euro¬ 
pean  civilization  was  not  called  German  or  Roman,  ab¬ 
solute  or  feudal,  but  was  called,  and  it  calls  itself,  Cath¬ 
olic  civilization. 

Catholicism  is  not  then  merely  what  Mr.  Guizot  sup¬ 
poses,  one  among  the  many  elements  which  compose 
this  admirable  civilization;  it  is  more  than  this — much 
more;  it  is  this  civilization  itself.  How  strange!  Mr. 
Guizot  sees  all  that  is  transient  in  time  and  circum¬ 
scribed  in  space;  and  he  fails  to  perceive  that  which  is 
neither  limited  by  time  nor  space.  He  sees  that  which 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


91 


is  here,  that  which  is  there,  and  that  which  is  more 
remote;  but  he  does  not  see  that  which  is  everywhere. 
He  sees  the  members  which  form  an  organized  and  liv¬ 
ing  body,  but  he  does  not  recognize  the  life  which  ani¬ 
mates  these  members. 

If  we  reject,  even  for  a  moment,  the  divine  virtue 
and  the  supernatural  force  which  is  in  the  Church,  and 
consider  her  simply  as  a  human  institution,  which  is 
expanded  and  extended  by  purely  human  and  nat¬ 
ural  means :  in  this  case  we  must  concede  that  Mr. 
Guizot  is  right.  For,  according  to  this  hypothesis,  the 
influence  that  the  Church  exercises  by  her  doctrine  can¬ 
not  go  beyond  the  natural  limits  that  his  sovereign 
reason  assigns  to  it.  But  the  difficulty  still  remains, 
because  it  is  an  evident  fact  that  the  Church  has  gone 
beyond  these  limits.  Therefore  an  evident  contradiction 
exists  between  history,  which  shows  that  this  influence 
does  go  beyond  these  limits,  and  reason,  which  teaches 
that  it  cannot  do  so ;  a  contradiction  which  must  neces¬ 
sarily  be  resolved  by  a  higher  formula,  capable  of  pro¬ 
ducing  an  entire  reconciliation,  which  will  harmonize 
facts  with  their  causes  and  reason  with  history. 

The  principle  expressed  by  this  formula  must  necessa¬ 
rily  be  outside  of  history  and  of  reason,  outside  of  the 
natural  and  the  visible.  It  is  found  in  the  invisible, 
supernatural,  and  divine  element  of  the  holy  Catholic 
Church.  It  is  this  divine,  supernatural,  and  impalpable 
power  which  has  conquered  the  world,  has  overcome  the 
most  invincible  obstacles,  has  subdued  rebellious  minds 
and  proud  hearts,  and  has  elevated  the  Church  above 
human  vicissitudes,  and  has  secured  her  sway  over 
nations. 


92 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM,  ETC. 


They  who  do  not  consider  the  supernatural  and 
divine  virtue  inherent  in  the  Church,  will  never  under¬ 
stand  her  influence,  nor  her  victories,  nor  her  tribula¬ 
tions.  Nor  will  they  who  fail  to  comprehend  this  ever 
be  able  to  understand  that  which  is  spiritual,  essential, 
and  profound  in  European  civilization. 


* 


BOOK  II. 


PROBLEMS  AND  SOLUTIONS  IN  REGARD  TO  ORDER  IN 

GENERAL. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Of  free  will  in  man. 

Aside  from  the  action  of  God,  there  is  nothing  but 
the  action  of  man ;  and,  aside  from  Divine  Providence, 
there  is  nothing  but  human  liberty.  The  combination 
of  this  freedom  with  this  providence  forms  the  rich  and 
varied  web  of  history. 

The  free  will  of  man  is  the  master-piece  of  creation, 
and  the  most  extraordinary,  if  it  were  permitted  so  to 
speak,  of  the  divine  wonders.  In  relation  to  it,  all 
things  are  invariably  ordained,  and  in  such  a  way  that 
the  creation  would  be  unintelligible  without  man,  and 
man  deprived  of  free  will  would  be  an  unfathomable 
mystery.  His  liberty  explains  man,  and  is  at  the  same 
time  the  interpretation  of  all  things ;  yet  who  can  ex¬ 
plain  this  most  high,  inviolable  and  holy,  freedom— so 
high,  inviolable  and  holy,  that  He  who  bestowed  it  can¬ 
not  take  it  away — and  which  is  able  to  resist  and*  van¬ 
quish  Him  who  gave  it,  opposing  an  invincible  resistance 
and  obtaining  an  overwhelming  victory?  Who  can  ex¬ 
plain  in  what  way,  notwithstanding  this  victory  of  man 
over  God,  God  remains  the  conqueror  and  man  the  con¬ 
quered  ;  while  the  victory  of  man  is  a  real  victory,  and 

9*  (93) 


94 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


the  defeat  of  God  a  real  defeat  ?  What  can  be  the 
nature  of  this  victory,  which  is  necessarily  followed  by 
the  defeat  of  the  victor ;  and  what  can  be  the  nature  of 
the  defeat  which  terminates  in  the  elevation  of  the  con¬ 
quered?  What  is  the  meaning  of  paradise  as  the  reward 
of  defeat,  and  of  hell  as  the  punishment  of  victory  ?  If 
in  my  defeat  is  my  reward,  why  reject  that  which  saves 
me ;  and  if  my  condemnation  is  in  my  victory,  why 
desire  that  which  condemns  me  ? 

These  questions  have  occupied  the  minds  of  all  the 
great  doctors  of  past  ages.  The  petulant  sophists  of 
to-day  affect  to  despise  them,  and  yet  they  cannot  even 
lift  from  the  ground  the  formidable  weapons  which 
these  holy  doctors,  in  Catholic  ages,  easily  and  humbly 
wielded.  In  the  present  age,  it  is  considered  an  inex¬ 
cusable  folly  to  examine  with  humility,  and  aided  by 
grace,  the  high  designs  of  God  in  his  profound  mys¬ 
teries  ;  as  if  man  could  comprehend  anything  without 
an  investigation  of  these  profound  and  high  designs. 
All  the  great  questions  upon  God  are  now  considered 
as  idle  and  sterile ;  as  if  it  were  possible  to  study  God, 
who  is  intelligence  and  truth,  without  acquiring  truth 
and  intelligence. 

Regarding  the  tremendous  question  which  is  the  sub¬ 
ject  of  this  chapter,  and  which  I  shall  endeavor  to  con¬ 
fine  within  as  narrow  limits  as  possible,  I  affirm,  that 
the  opinion  generally  entertained  respecting  free  will  is 
in  every  respect  false.  Free  will  does  not  consist,  as  is 
commonly  supposed,  in  the  power  of  choice  between 
good  and  evil,  which  importune  man  with  contrary  soli¬ 
citations.  If  free  will  consisted  in  this  faculty,  the  fol¬ 
lowing  consequences  would  necessarily  result — the  one 
relative  to  man,  and  the  other  relative  to  God,  and  both 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


95 


evidently  absurd.  The  consequence  respecting  man 
would  be,  that  the  higher  the  degree  of  excellence  he 
attained,  the  less  free  he  would  become,  as  he  could  not 
advance  toward  perfection  without  becoming  subjected 
to  the  influence  of  good ;  and  he  could  not  yield  to  the 
sway  of  truth  without  removing  himself  from  the  rule 
of  evil.  He  must  necessarily  remove  himself  from  under 
the  sway  of  the  one,  in  the  same  degree  that  he  subjects 
himself  to  the  other  ;  and  as  this  must  alter,  more  or  less, 
according  to  the  measure  of  his  perfection,  the  equilib¬ 
rium  between  these  two  contrary  influences,  his  free¬ 
dom,  that  is,  his  power  of  choice,  must  therefore  be 
diminished  to  the  same  extent  that  this  equilibrium  is 
disturbed.  If  we  place  the  highest  perfection  of  man 
in  the  annihilation  of  one  of  these  opposing  elements, 
and  take  it  for  granted  that  perfect  freedom  consists  in 
the  power  of  choosing  between  these  antagonistic  solici¬ 
tations,  it  is  evident  that,  between  the  perfection  and 
the  freedom  of  man,  there  is  a  patent  contradiction  and 
an  absolute  incompatibility.  The  absurdity  of  this  de¬ 
duction  consists  in  this,  that  man  being  free,  and  at  the 
same  time  aiming  at  perfection,  he  cannot  preserve  his 
freedom  without  renouncing  perfection,  neither  can  he 
become  perfect  without  losing  his  liberty. 

As  relates  to  God,  the  consequence  of  this  hypothe¬ 
sis  wrould  be  this,  that  God,  not  being  subject  in  his  na¬ 
ture  to  contradictory  solicitations,  would  not  be  free,  if 
freedom  consisted  in  the  full  power  to  choose  between 
opposing  solicitations;  and  if,  according  to  this  supposi¬ 
tion,  he  must  have  the  power  to  choose  between  good 
and  evil,  between  sanctity  and  sin,  in  order  to  be  free, 
then  there  exists,  between  the  nature  of  God  and  liberty 
thus  defined,  a  radical  contradiction  and  an  absolute 


96  ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 

incompatibility.  And,  as  it  would  be  an  absurdity  to 
suppose,  on  the  one  side,  that  God  cannot  be  free  if  he 
is  God,  and  that  he  cannot  be  God  if  he  is  free;  and  on 
the  other,  that  man  cannot  attain  perfection  without 
losing  his  liberty,  nor  be  free  without  renouncing  per¬ 
fection,  it  follows  that  the  idea  of  liberty  that  we  have 
just  examined  is  altogether  false,  contradictory,  and 
absurd. 

The  error  that  we  have  just  exposed  consists  in  placing 
freedom  in  the  faculty  of  choice,  when  it  really  rests  in 
the  faculty  of  will,  which  supposes  the  faculty  of  under¬ 
standing.  Every  being  endowed  with  understanding  and 
will  is  free,  and  his  liberty  is  not  a  distinct  thing  from 
his  will  and  his  understanding,  but  the  two  united. 
When  we  affirm  of  a  being  that  he  has  will  and  under¬ 
standing,  and  of  another  being  that  he  is  free,  we  assert 
with  regard  to  both  the  same  thing  expressed  in  two 
different  ways. 

If  liberty  consists  in  the  faculties  of  will  and  under¬ 
standing,  then  perfect  liberty  consists  in  a  perfect  will 
and  understanding.  These  are  the  attributes  of  God 
alone,  from  which  it  follows,  as  a  necessary  inference, 
that  God  alone  is  perfectly  free. 

Again,  if  liberty  consists  in  the  faculties  of  under¬ 
standing  and  will,  then  man  is  free,  because  he  is  en¬ 
dowed  with  will  and  intelligence;  but  he  is  not  perfectly 
free,  as  he  is  not  endowed  with  an  understanding  and 
will  infinite  and  perfect. 

The  imperfection  of  his  understanding  is,  that  it  is 
limited  on  the  one  hand,  and  on  the  other  subject  to 
error.  The  imperfection  of  his  will  is,  that  he  does  not 
desire  all  that  he  ought  to  wish  for,  and  that  he  may  be 
importuned  and  conquered  by  evil.  From  whence  it 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM.  97 

follows,  that  the  imperfection  of  his  liberty  consists  in 
his  power  of  choosing  evil  and  embracing  error,  that  is 
to  say,  the  imperfection  of  human  liberty  lies  in  pre¬ 
cisely  that  faculty  of  choice  which,  according  to  the 
vulgar  opinion,  constitutes  its  absolute  perfection. 

Man  at  his  creation  knew  good,  and  because  he  per¬ 
ceived  it  he  sought  it,  and  because  he  sought  it  he  prac¬ 
ticed  it ;  and  in  the  possession  of  that  good  which  he 
sought  with  his  will  and  understanding,  he  was  free. 
That  this  is  the  signification  of  Christian  liberty,  we 
clearly  see  in  the  following  words:  “ Cognoscetis  veri- 
tatem  et  veritas  liberabit  vos.”*  Between  the  liberty  of 
man  and  that  of  God  there  is,  then,  no  other  difference 
than  that  which  exists  between  anything  that  can  un¬ 
dergo  diminution  and  loss,  and  that  which  cannot;  the 
same  difference  that  must  exist  between  that  which  is 
limited  and  that  which  is  essentially  infinite. 

When  the  woman  listened  to  the  voice  of  the  fallen 
angel,  her  will  immediately  began  to  be  obscured  and 
weakened;  she  ceased  to  rest  on  God,  who  had  hitherto 
been  her  stay,  and  she  experienced  in  consequence  a 
speedy  downfall.  It  was  then  that  her  freedom,  which 
consisted  in  the  exercise  of  will  and  understanding,  was 
enfeebled.  When  she  passed  from  the  thought  to  the 
commission  of  sin,  her  understanding  became  obscured 
and  her  will  weakened.  The  woman  involved  man  in 
her  ruin,  and  human  liberty  fell  into  a  state  of  deep 
abasement. 

Some  persons  who  confound  the  idea  of  liberty  with 
that  of  absolute  independence,  ask  why  man  became 
enslaved  so  soon  as  he  fell  under  the  power  of  the  devil, 


*  John,  viii.  32. 


98 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


when  it  is  at  the  same  time  affirmed  that  God  created 
him  free.  To  which  we  answer,  that  it  cannot  be  as¬ 
serted  of  man,  that  he  is  a  slave  only  because  he  does 
not  belong  to  himself ;  in  which  case  he  would  always 
be  a  slave,  inasmuch  as  he  never  belongs  to  himself  in 
an  independent  and  sovereign  manner.  But,  it  is 
affirmed  of  man,  that  he  is  enslaved  only  when  he  falls 
under  the  power  of  an  usurper,  as  it  is  said  that  he  is 
free  when  he  obeys  only  his  legitimate  master.  He  only 
is  enslaved  who  is  ruled  by  a  tyrant,  and  there  is  no 
greater  tyrant  than  he  who  exercises  an  usurped  au¬ 
thority  ;  nor  is  there  any  other  liberty  than  that  which 
consists  in  a  willing  obedience  to  legitimate  rulers. 

Again,  some  persons  cannot  comprehend  how  the  ac¬ 
tion  of  grace,  through  which  we  are  redeemed  and  lib¬ 
erated,  can  be  reconciled  with  this  same  liberty  and 
redemption.  It  appears  to  them  that  in  this  mysterious 
operation  God  is  the  sole  agent,  and  man  is  passive. 
This  is  an  entirely  erroneous  opinion,  because  it  is  neces¬ 
sary  that  God  and  man  concur  in  this  great  mystery — 
God  working  and  man  co-operating.  For  this  rea¬ 
son  God  does  not  usually  impart  more  grace  than  is 
needed  to  assist  the  will.  Fearful  of  oppressing  it,  he 
is  contented  with  inviting  it,  with  the  most  loving  re¬ 
quest;  while  man,  when  he  receives  the  impressions  of 
grace,  does  so  with  incomparable  sweetness  and  com¬ 
placency;  and  when  the  loving  will  of  man,  who  listens 
to  this  invitation,  is  joined  to  the  loving  will  of  God, 
who  calling  him  rejoices,  and  rejoicing  calls,  then  through 
this  sweet  concurrence  of  wills  does  the  grace  which  was 
sufficient  become  efficacious. 

With  regard  to  those  who  imagine  liberty  to  rest  in 
the  absence  of  all  solicitation  which  may  affect  the  will 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


99 


of  man,  I  shall  only  say  that  they  inadvertently  fall  into 
one  of  these  two  great  errors — either  that  of  supposing 
a  rational  being  to  act  without  any  motive  whatever, 
or  that  an  unreasoning  being  can  be  free. 

If  the  above  is  true,  it  is  certain  that  the  faculty  of 
choice  best‘owTed  upon  man,  far  from  constituting  a  ne¬ 
cessary  condition  of  freedom,  endangers  liberty,  since 
through  it  arises  the  possibility  of  a  renunciation  of 
good,  and  of  falling  into  error,  of  a  denial  of  God,  and 
of  a  subjection  to  tyranny.  All  the  efforts  of  man,  with 
the  assistance  of  grace,  should  be  directed  to  the  keep¬ 
ing  of  this  faculty  under,  so  that  he  may  even  lose  it,  if 
possible,  by  inaction.  He  alone  who  loses  it  understands 
good,  desires  it,  and  performs  it;  and  he  alone  who 
does  this  is  perfectly  free ;  and  he  alone  who  is  free  is 
perfect ;  and  only  he  who  is  perfect  is  happy.  None  of 
the  blessed  have  this  faculty  of  choosing  between  good 
and  evil,  neither  God,  nor  his  saints,  nor  the  choirs  of 
angels. 


CHAPTER  II. 

■ 

Some  objections  respecting  this  dogma  answered. 

If  the  faculty  of  choice  does  not  constitute  the  per¬ 
fection,  but  endangers  the  exercise  of  free  will  in  man ; 
if  in  this  faculty  originated  man’s  prevarication  and 
fall;  if  in  it  rests  the  mystery  of  sin,  of  condemnation, 
and  death;  how  can  we  reconcile  with  the  infinite  good¬ 
ness  of  God  this  fatal  gift,  which  is  the  source  of  our 
misfortunes  and  calamities?  Shall  we  regard  the  hand 
that  bestows  it  as  compassionate  or  rigorous?  If  it  is 


100 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


laid  upon  us  in  anger,  why  were  we  created?  Why  in¬ 
flict  upon  us  a  burden  so  heavy,  if  this  hand  is  merciful? 
Shall  we  call  it  just,  or  only  strong?  If  it  is  just,  what 
have  we  done  previously  to  our  creation  to  be  thus  pun¬ 
ished?  If  it  is  simply  strong,  why  are  we  not  crushed 
and  destroyed?  If  in  using  the  gift  we  have  received 
we  have  committed  sin,  who  is  the  author  of  our  sin? 
If  we  are  lost  on  account  of  the  transgressions  which 
this  faculty  inclines  us  to  commit,  who  is  the  cause  of 
our  condemnation  and  our  punishment?  0  great  and 
incomprehensible  being,  whom  we  know  not  if  we  must 
bless  or  detest;  shall  we,  with  bitter  sighs  and  ardent 
prayers,  fall  prostrate  at  thy  feet  like  thy  servant  Job, 
or  shall  we  attempt  against  thee  the  war  of  the  Titans, 
and  pile  mount  upon  mount,  Pelion  upon  Ossa?  0 
mysterious  sphinx,  we  know  not  how  to  appease  nor  how 
to  vanquish  thee;  nor  do  we  know  how  to  address  thee. 
If  as  thou  sayest  thou  art  omniscient,  tell  us,  we  beseech 
thee,  in  which  of  thy  sacred  books  thou  hast  inscribed 
thy  name,  that  we  may  know  how  we  must  call  upon 
thee  ;  for  the  titles  that  are  given  thee  are  contradictory 
like  thyself.  Those  who  are  saved  call  thee  God;  those 
who  are  condemned  call  thee  tyrant. 

This  is  the  angry  voice  of  the  genius  of  pride  and 
blasphemy.  What  an  inconceivable  madness  and  inex¬ 
plicable  aberration  for  man,  who  is  the  work  of  God,  to 
summon  before  his  tribunal  that  same  God  who  grants 
him  the  very  tribunal  on  which  he  sits  as  arbiter,  the 
reason  with  which  he  judges,  and  even  the  voice  with 
which  he  calls  upon  God!  Thus  man  falls  from  blas¬ 
phemy  tq  blasphemy,  from  abyss  to  abyss.  The  blas¬ 
phemer  who  summons,  constitutes  himself  the  judge  to 
condemn  or  absolve.  But  the  man  who  absolves  or  con- 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISiM. 


101 


demns,  in  place  of  adoring  God,  blasphemes.  Woe  to 
the  arrogant  who  interrogate  him,  and  happy  are  the 
humble  who  adore  him!  For  he  will  come  both  to  the 
one  and  to  the  other;  to  the  one,  as  summoned,  in  the 
day  of  judgment,  and  to  the  other,  as  adored*  in  the 
day  of  adoration.  He  will  respond  to  all  who  call  upon 
him ;  to  the  ones  in  wrath,  to  the  others  in  mercy. 

Let  it  not  be  said  that  this  doctrine  is  an  absurd¬ 
ity,  involving  the  denial  of  the  competency  of  human 
reason  to  understand  the  things  of  God,  and  thereby 
implicitly  condemns  the  theologians  and  holy  doctors, 
and  even  the  very  Church,  that  have  in  past  ages  so 
fully  discussed  and  investigated  these  questions.  What 
this  doctrine  denies  is,  the  capacity  of  reason  unen¬ 
lightened  by  faith  to  understand  the  truths  of  revela¬ 
tion  and  faith,  in  so  far  as  they  are  supernatural.  When 
we  attempt  to  comprehend  these  mysteries  unaided,  we 
act  in  relation  to  God  as  judges  against  whose  judgments 
there  is  no  appeal.  This  supposition,  whether  its  sentence 
is  condemnatory  or  absolutory,  is  alike  blasphemous.  It 
is  so,  not  so  much  on  account  of  what  is  asserted  or 
denied  respecting  God,  as  on  account  of  what  human 
reason  implicitly  affirms  of  itself;  for  whether  it  be  con¬ 
demnation  or  absolution,  it  always  affirms  the  same 
thing,  namely,  its  own  independence  and  sovereignty. 
When  the  most  holy  Church  asserts  or  denies  anything 
respecting  God,  it  simply  repeats  what  it  has  learned 
from  God.  When  eminent  theologians  and  pious  doc¬ 
tors  investigate  the  profound  depths  of  the  divine  excel¬ 
lencies,  it  is  always  with  a  secret  terror  and  assisted  by 
faith.  They  do  not  suppose  that  they  can  discover  mys¬ 
teries  in  God  which  are  unknown  to  faith;  but  they 
unite  the  light  of  reason  to  the  light  of  faith;  so  that 

10 


102 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


in  this  way  they  may  take  another  aspect  of  these  mar¬ 
vels  and  secrets.  They  do  not  contemplate  God  in  order 
to  discover  new  things  in  him,  but  that  they  may  view 
the  things,  already  known  to  faith,  in  a  new  light ;  so 
that  these  two  ways  of  knowing  God  are  only  two  dif¬ 
ferent  ways  of  adoring  him. 

There  is  no  mystery  taught  by  faith,  and  proposed  by 
the  Church,  that  does  not  combine,  by  an  admirable  ar¬ 
rangement  of  God,  two  qualities  commonly  antagonistic — 
obscurity  and  evidence.  The  Catholic  mysteries  may  be 
compared  to  bodies  that  are  both  luminous  and  opaque; 
and  in  such  a  manner  that  their  shadows  can  never  be 
dissipated  by  their  light,  nor  their  light  obscured  by 
their  shadows.  They  remain  both  perpetually  obscure 
and  perpetually  luminous.  While  they  diffuse  their 
brightness  over  the  world,  they  themselves  remain  im¬ 
pervious  to  light.  They  illuminate  creation,  yet  nothing 
can  throw  light  on  them.  They  penetrate  everywhere, 
and  remain  impenetrable.  It  appears  an  absurd  thing 
to  admit  these  mysteries,  but  it  is  more  absurd  to  deny 
them;  because  for  those  who  embrace  them,  there  is  no 
other  obscurity  than  their  own;  while  for  those  who 
reject  them,  darkness  rests  over  all  things.  Yet,  not¬ 
withstanding,  the  blindness  of  men  is  so  great  that  they 
would  rather  deny  these  mysteries  than  concede  them. 
Light  is  intolerable  to  their  eyes  if  it  proceed  from  an 
obscure  region.  In  the  madness  of  their  gigantic  pride 
they  condemn  themselves  to  an  eternal  blindness,  re¬ 
garding  the  clouds  that  enshroud  a  single  mystery  as 
more  fatal  than  those  which  spread  themselves  over  the 
entire  horizon. 

It  is  easy  to  demonstrate  what  we  have  just  asserted, 
without  turning  aside  from  the  contemplation  of  those 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM.  103 

great  questions  which  form  the  subject  of  this  chapter. 
Let  those  who  ask  why  this  tremendous  gift  has  been 
bestowed  of  choosing  between  good  and  evil,  sanctity 
and  sin,  life  and  death,  deny  its  existence  but  for  a  mo¬ 
ment,  and  in  this  very  moment  they  render  altogether 
impossible  the  separate  creations  of  angels  and  men.  If 
in  this  faculty  of  choice  lies  the  imperfection  of  liberty, 
you  have  but  to  take  away  this  power,  and  you  remove 
the  only  obstacle  to  entire  freedom ;  and  when  this  is 
effected,  there  would  exist  a  simultaneous  perfection  of 
the  will  and  the  understanding.  This  perfection  is  in 
God,  but  if  we  likewise  place  it  in  the  creature,  God  and 
the  creature  are  then  one  and  the  same.  All  is  God,  or 
nothing  is  God;  and  in  this  way  we  fall  into  pantheism, 
or  into  atheism,  which  is  the  same  thing  expressed  under 
another  name.  Imperfection  is  a  condition  so  natural 
to  the  creature,  and  perfection  is  so  natural  to  God, 
that  we  cannot  deny  either  the  one  or  the  other  without 
an  incongruity  of  terms,  a  real  contradiction,  and  an 
evident  absurdity.  To  affirm  of  God  that  he  is  imper¬ 
fect,  is  to  deny  his  existence ;  to  affirm  of  the  creature 
that  he  is  perfect,  is  to  deny  his  existence  also;  from 
which  we  perceive  that  if  this  mystery  is  above  reason, 
the  denial  of  it  is  contrary  to  reason;  and  in  rejecting 
one  for  the  other,  we  abandon  the  obscure  and  accept 
the  impossible. 

As  the  negations  of  rationalism  are  false,  contradic¬ 
tory,  and  absurd,  the  affirmations  of  Catholicism  are 
simple,  natural,  and  logical.  Catholicism  affirms  of 
God  that  he  is  absolutely  perfect;  and,  of  created  be¬ 
ings,  that  they  have  a  relative  perfection  and  an  abso¬ 
lute  imperfection  ;  and  that  they  are  perfect  and  imper¬ 
fect  in  so  excellent  a  manner  that  their  absolute  imper- 


104 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


fection,  by  which  they  are  infinitely  separated  from 
God,  constitutes  their  relative  perfection,  by  which 
they  perfectly  fulfill  their  different  functions,  and  in 
this  way  form  the  perfect  harmony  of  the  universe. 
Under  the  point  of  view  we  at  present  consider,  the 
absolute  perfection  of  God  consists  in  his  being  sover¬ 
eignly  free;  that  is  to  say,  in  having  a  perfect  compre¬ 
hension  of  good,  and  in  desiring  it  with  a  perfect  will. 
Under  this  same  point  of  view,  the  absolute  imperfec¬ 
tion  of  all  other  intelligent  and  free  beings  consists  in 
their  not  understanding  or  desiring  good  in  such  way 
that  they  cannot  understand  evil  and  desire  the  evil 
which  their  mind  conceives.  Their  relative  perfection 
consists  in  this  same  absolute  imperfection,  by  which  on 
the  one  hand  they  differ  from  God  in  their  nature,  and 
on  the  other  they  can  unite  themselves  to  God,  who  is 
their  end,  by  an  effort  of  their  own  will,  aided  by  grace. 

Intelligent  and  free  beings  are  disposed  in  hierarchies, 
and  consequently  they  are  hierarchically  imperfect. 
These  beings  resemble  each  other  inasmuch  as  they  are 
all  imperfect;  but  they  are  distinguished  one  from  the 
other  as  to  the  degree  of  imperfection,  although  they 
are  all  imperfect  in  the  same  manner.  The  angel  only 
differs  from  man  in  that  the  imperfection  which  is 
common  to  them  both  is  greater  in  the  man  and  less 
in  the  angel,  as  is  suitable  to  their  different  positions 
in  the  immense  scale  of  existences.  They  were  both, 
in  the  beginning,  endowed  by  their  Creator  with  the 
faculty  of  understanding  and  the  power  to  will  evil, 
and  to  perform  that  which  they  understood;  and  in  this 
was  their  resemblance.  But  in  the  angelical  nature  this 
imperfection  was  brief  in  its  duration,  while  in  human 
nature  it  always  exists;  and  in  this  are  they  dissimilar. 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM.  105 

There  was  granted  to  the  angel  a  brief  and  solemn  mo¬ 
ment,  in  which  he  might  choose  between  good  and  evil; 
and  it  was  then  that  the  angelical  hosts  divided.  A 
portion  of  them  inclined  before  the  divine  will,  while 

the  others  tumultuously  declared  themselves  rebels. 

%/ 

This  sudden  and  supreme  resolution  was  followed  by  as 
great  and  sudden  a  fall.  The  rebellious  angels  were 
condemned,  while  the  faithful  were  confirmed  in  grace. 

Man,  not  being  a  pure  spirit  like  the  angel,  was  weaker 
in  understanding  and  will,  and  consequently  received  a 
more  feeble  and  imperfect  liberty;  and  this  imperfection 
was  to  last  during  life.  Herein  we  see  the  unspeakable 
excellence  of  the  divine  designs.  God  saw,  before  the 
beginning  of  things,  the  beauty  and  fitness  of  hierarchies, 
and  therefore  established  them  between  free  and  intelli¬ 
gent  existences.  On  the  other  hand  he  saw,  from 
eternity,  the  beauty  and  fitness  of  a  certain  manner  of 
equality  among  all  his  creatures,  and  therefore  the 
sovereign  artificer  so  adjusted  all  things  as  to  unite 
this  beauty  of  equality  to  the  beauty  of  the  hierarchy. 
In  order  to  form  this  hierarchy,  God  made  the  exist¬ 
ences  he  had  created  unequal  in  their  faculties ;  and,  in 
order  to  fulfill  the  law  of  equality,  he  required  more  of 
those  to  whom  he  gave  more,  and  less  of  those  to  whom 
he  gave  less:  arid  in  such  a  manner,  that  those  who  had 
received  the  most  were  more  strictly  called  to  an  ac¬ 
count,  and  those  who  had  received  the  fewest  gifts  were 
held  the  least  accountable.  Because  the  natural  excel¬ 
lence  of  the  angel  was  so  great,  his  fall  was  without 
hope  or  remedy,  his  punishment  instantaneous,  and  his 
condemnation  eternal.  Because  the  natural  goodness  of 
man  was  less,  when  he  fell  he  was  raised  again,  and  his 
prevarication  was  not  without  a  remedy;  therefore  the 

10* 


106 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


sentence  passed  upon  him  will  not  be  without  appeal, 
nor  will  his  condemnation  be  irremediable,  until,  through 
repeated  acts  of  sin,  his  guilt  reaches  that  point  alone 
known  to  God,  where  the  angelical  and  human  prevari¬ 
cation  have  an  equal  weight  in  the  ’divine  balance ;  so 
that  no  man  may  say  to  God,  why  didst  thou  not  create 
me  angel?  Nor  may  the  angel  say,  why  didst  thou  not 
make  me  man  ? 

0  Lord,  who  is  not  terrified  at  the  spectacle  of  thy 
justice?  But  what  grandeur  equals  the  greatness  of 
thy  mercy?  What  balance  so  even,  as  that  thou  hold- 
est  in  thy  hand?  What  measure  so  true,  as  that  with 
which  thou  metest  out  justice  ?  Who  knowest  as  thou 
dost,  numbers  and  their  mysterious  agreements  ?  How 
admirably  executed  are  thy  prodigies !  How  excel¬ 
lently  arranged  are  all  things  which  thou  hast  estab¬ 
lished,  and  how  harmoniously  beautiful  in  their  arrange¬ 
ment  !  0  Lord,  enlighten  my  understanding,  that  I 

may  better  comprehend  something  of  thy  designs  from 
eternity,  something  of  thy  plans  and  their  execution : 
because  he  who  knows  thee  not,  knows  nothing;  and  he 
who  understands  thee,  knows  all  things. 

If  man  may  not  ask  of  God,  why  didst  thou  not  create 
me  an  angel,  nor  why  didst  thou  not  create  me  perfect, 
may  he  not  at  least  say  to  Him,  Lord,  it  would  have 
been  better  for  me  if  thou  hadst  not  created  me;  why 
didst  thou  create  me  such  as  I  am  ?  If  thou  hadst  con¬ 
sulted  me,  I  would  never  have  consented  to  receive  life 
with  the  power  to  lose  it ;  hell  terrifies  me  more  than 
nothingness. 

Man,  left  to  himself,  only  falls  into  blasphemy.  When 
he  questions  God,  he  blasphemes,  unless  the  God  who  is 
to  answer  him  teaches  him  how  to  inquire.  When  he 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


107 


asks  for  anything,  he  blasphemes,  unless  the  same  God 
who  is  to  grant  his  request  teaches  him  what  to  ask, 
and  how  to  ask  it.  Man  neither  knew  how  to  pray  nor 
what  to  ask  for,  until  God,  made  man,  taught  him  the 
Our  Father,  so  that  he  might  commit  it  to  memory  like 
a  child. 

What  does  man  mean,  when  he  says,  it  would  be  bet¬ 
ter  for  me  never  to  have  been  born  ?  Did  he  by  chance 
exist  before  he  was  created  ?  And  what  signifies  his 
question,  if,  previous  to  his  existence,  he  never  existed  ? 
Man  can  form  some  idea  of  all  that  exists,  even  when  it 
surpasses  his  reason,  and  therefore  he  can  have  some 
conception  of  all  the  mysteries ;  but  he  cannot  form 
any  idea  whatever  of  non-existence,  of  nothingness. 
He  who  commits  suicide  does  not  wish  to  blot  himself 
out  of  existence;  he  only  wishes,  by  existing  in  a  differ¬ 
ent  way,  to  end  his  suffering.  Man,  then,  expresses  no 
idea  whatever  when  he  says,  why  do  I  exist  ?  He  can 
only  express  an  idea  when  he  asks,  why  am  I  what  I 
am  ?  This  question  resolves  itself  into  another — why 
have  I  the  power  to  lose  myself?  This  is  an  absurd 
question,  in  whatever  light  you  view  it.  In  effect,  if 
every  created  being  is  imperfect  simply  because  he  is  a 
creature,  and  if  the  power  to  lose  one’s  self  constitutes 
the  especial  imperfection  of  man,  he  therefore  who  asks 
this  question,  asks  in  substance  why  he  is  a  creature, 
or,  what  is  its  equivalent,  why  the  creature  is  not  the 
Creator,  why  man  is  not  the  God  who  created  man  ? 
Quod  absurdum. 

And  if  this  question  simply  means,  why  wre  are  not 
saved  in  spite  of  the  power  to  lose  ourselves,  the  absurd¬ 
ity  is  still  greater ;  because,  why  should  the  power  to 
lose  one’s  self  be  given,  if  no  one  can  be  lost?  If  man 


108 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


was  to  be  saved  in  spite  of  everything,  what  would  be 
the  final  use  of  life  in  time  ?  Why  not,  from  the  begin¬ 
ning,  lead  an  immortal  life  in  Paradise  ?  Reason  can¬ 
not  comprehend  how  salvation  can  be  both  necessary  and 
future,  since  the  future  is  essentially  only  compatible 
with  the  contingent,  and  that  which  by  its  very  nature 
is  necessary,  is  present. 

If  man  were  destined  to  pass,  without  any  transition, 
out  of  nothingness  into  eternity,  and  from  the  moment 
of  his  creation  lead  a  glorified  life,  time,  space,  and  the 
entire  creation  made  for  man,  who  is  its  king,  would  be 
annihilated.  If  his  kingdom  was  not  to  be  of  this  world, 
why  create  this  world  ?  If  it  was  not  to-  be  temporal, 
why  does  time  exist  ?  If  it  was  not  to  be  local,  why 
create  space  ?  And,  without  time  and  space,  why  were 
things  created  in  time  and  space  ?  We  therefore  see,  in 
the  suppositions  -we  have  admitted,  that  the  contradic¬ 
tion  between  the  power  to  lose  one’s  self  and  the  neces¬ 
sity  of  salvation,  leads  to  the  absurdity  of  suppressing, 
at  one  blow,  the  existence  of  time  and  space ;  and  this, 
in  turn,  logically  involves  the  suppression  of  all  things 
created  with  man,  for  man,  and  on  account  of  man. 
Man  cannot  substitute  a  human  for  a  divine  idea,  with¬ 
out  causing  the  immediate  destruction  of  the  entire 
plan  of  creation,  and  being  himself  crushed  beneath  its 
gigantic  ruins. 

Regarding  this  question  under  another  aspect,  we  may 
affirm  that,  when  man  claims  the  absolute  right  to  save 
himself,  at  the  same  time  that  he  admits  the  power  to 
lose  himself,  he  falls  into  even  a  greater  absurdity,  if 
this  is  possible,  than  when  he  complains  of  God  because 
He  has  given  him  the  faculty  to  lose  himself ;  because  if, 
under  the  latter  assumption,  he  would  become  as  God, 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


109 


under  the  former  he  would  assume  the  privileges  of 
divinity  while  being  man. 

Finally,  if  we  attentively  consider  this  grave  subject, 
we  shall  clearly  see,  that  it  is  incompatible  with  the 
divine  excellence  to  save  either  angel  or  man,  without 
anterior  merit  on  their  part.  All  in  God  is  reasonable; 
his  justice  as  his  goodness,  and  his  goodness  as  his 
mercy:  since,  if  he  is  infinitely  just,  and  good,  and  mer¬ 
ciful,  he  is  likewise  infinitely  reasonable.  Consequently 
we  cannot  attribute  to  God,  without  blasphemy,  even 
one  single  act  of  goodness,  mercy,  or  justice,  which  is 
not  founded  on  sovereign  reason,  as  the  only  source  of 
true  goodness,  mercy,  or  justice.  Goodness  without 
reason  is  weakness ;  mercy  without  reason  is  conde¬ 
scension  ;  and  justice  not  based  on  reason  is  revenge — 
for  God  is  good,  merciful,  and  just,  and  not  weak,  con¬ 
descending,  or  vindictive.  From  this  it  follows,  that 
when  we  pray  for  salvation  on  account  of  the  infinite 
goodness  of  God,  without  regard  to  anterior  merit,  ouj 
prayers  are  unreasonable ;  since  we  ask  for  an  action 
on  the  part  of  God  without  motive,  and  an  effect  without 
a  cause.  Strange  inconsistency!  Man  asks  of  God,  in 
virtue  of  His  infinite  goodness,  what  He  daily  condemns 
in  man,  whose  reason  is  limited  :  and  he  calls  that  a  just 
and  merciful  action  in  heaven,  which  on  earth  he  would 
regard  as  the  caprice  of  a  foolish  woman  or  the  extrav¬ 
agance  of  a  tyrant.. 

As  regards  hell,  its  existence  is  in  all  respects  neces¬ 
sary,  in  order  to  preserve  the  perfect  equilibrium  in 
which  God  has  placed  all  things ;  because  God  exists  in 
a  substantial  manner  in  the  divine  perfections.  Hell 
considered  as  a  punishment,  and  heaven  as  a  reward, 
form  a  perfect  equipoise  ;  the  power  of  man  to  lose  him- 


110  ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 

self  can  alone  balance  his  power  to  save  himself,  and 
that  the  justice  and  mercy  of  God  be  alike  infinite,  it  is 
necessary  that  hell  and  heaven  should  simultaneously 
exist,  the  one  as  the  term  of  the  former,  the  other  of 
the  latter.  Heaven  supposes  hell,  and  in  such  a  man¬ 
ner  that  it  can  neither  be  explained  nor  conceived  with¬ 
out  it.  These  two  things  are  correlative  in  the  same 
manner  that  a  consequence  supposes  its  principle  and  a 
principle  its  consequence;  and,  as  he  who  affirms  the 
consequence  contained  in  its  principle  and  the  principle 
which  contains  the  consequence,  in  reality  asserts  the 
same  thing,  and  not  two  different  things;  so  he  who 
asserts  the  existence  of  hell  implies  that  there  is  a 
heaven ;  and  he  who  affirms  that  there  is  a  heaven 
implies  the  existence  of  hell.  He  does  not  in  reality 
affirm  two  different  things,  but  one  and  the  same 
thing.  There  is  then  a  logical  necessity  to  admit 
these  two  affirmations,  or  to  deny  them  both,  as  abso¬ 
lute  negations.  But  before  denying  these  affirmations, 
let  us  examine  what  would  be  denied  by  their  nega¬ 
tion.  It  would  involve  the  denial  of  any  power  in  man 
either  to  lose  or  save  himself,  and  likewise  the  denial 
of  the  infinite  justice  and  mercy  of  God.  To  these 
personal  negations,  if  we  may  so  style  them,  may  be 
added  another  real  negation,  namely,  the  denial  of  vir¬ 
tue  and  vice,  of  good  and  evil,  of  reward  and  punish¬ 
ment;  and  as  these  negations  deny  all  the  laws  of  the 
moral  world,  so  the  negation  of  hell  logically  involves 
a  similar  denial.  Nor  can  it  be  said  that  man  may  save 
himself  without  going  to  heaven,  or  lose  himself  without 
going  to  hell ;  because  to  go  neither  to  heaven  nor  to 
hell  is  neither  reward  nor  punishment,  perdition  nor 
salvation.  God  must  either  possess  justice  and  mercy 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM.  Ill 

in  an  infinite  degree,  or  not  at  all ;  and  infinitude  re¬ 
quires  a  heaven  for  term  on  one  side,  and  a  hell  for 
term  on  the  other.  Any  other  result  would  make  these 
attributes  useless,  which  would  be  equivalent  to  their 
non-existence. 

If  it  is  conceded  that  this  intricate  demonstration 
proves,  on  the  one  hand,  that  the  power  to  save  one’s  self 
necessarily  implies  the  power  to  lose  one’s  self,  and,  on 
the  other  hand,  that  heaven  necessarily  supposes  hell,  so 
it  also  follows  that  he  who  blasphemes  against  God  be¬ 
cause  he  has  made  hell,  likewise  blasphemes  against  him 
because  he  has  made  heaven.  And  he  who  asks  to  be 
deprived  of  the  power  to  lose  himself,  likewise  asks  to 
be  deprived  of  the  power  to  save  himself. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Manicheism— Manicheism  of  Proudhon. 

Whatever  explanation  may  be  given  of  free  will  in 
man,  it  will  undoubtedly  always  remain  one  of  our  great¬ 
est  and  most  fearful  mysteries;  and  we  must  confess 
that  the  faculty  granted  to  man  to  draw  evil  out  of  good, 
disorder  out  of  order,  and  to  disturb,  even  though  it  be 
accidentally,  the  perfect  adjustment  with  which  God 
has  arranged  all  things,  is  a  tremendous  faculty.  If  we 
consider  this  power  in  itself,  and  not  relatively  to  that 
which  limits  and  controls  it,  it  is  almost  inconceivable. 
The  free  will  given  to  man  is  a  power  so  high  and  trans¬ 
cendent,  that  it  would  rather  seem  to  be  an  abdication 


112 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


on  the  part  of  God  than  a  grace  conferred.  Behold  the 
evil  it  causes  in  the  world. 

If  we  watch  the  flow,  through  the  prolongation  of  ages, 
of  the  turbid  and  impure  waters  of  that  ocean  which 
bears  humanity  onward,  we  shall  behold  among  the 
leaders  of  iniquity  Adam  the  rebel,  and  then  Cain  the 
fratricide;  and,  succeeding  them,  the  multitude  of  peo¬ 
ple  who  reject  God  and  his  law;  such  as  the  impious, 
the  impure,  the  incestuous,  and  adulterers.  There  are 
indeed  a  few  worshipers  of  God  and  his  glory;  but  they 
soon  forget  his  greatness  and  splendor,  and  they  alto¬ 
gether  tumultuously  embark  in  that  large  vessel  which 
has  no  pilot.  The  turbulent  currents  of  that  vast  ocean 
whirl  this  excited  crowd  onward,  while  they  know  not 
whither  they  go,  nor  from  whence  they  come,  nor  what 
is  the  name  of  the  vessel  that  bears  them,  nor  what  wind 
impels  them  forward.  If  from  time  to  time  a  sad,  pro¬ 
phetic  voice  is  heard,  crying  woe  to  the  navigators !  woe 
to  the  vessel !  the  ship  neither  arrests  her  course,  nor 
do  the  crew  listen,  while  the  wind  increases,  and  the 
boat  commences  to  burst  asunder.  Then  this  frantic 
crew  indulge  in  frightful  orgies,  up  to  that  last  dread 
moment  when  all  suddenly  ceases;  the  splendid  ban¬ 
quets,  frenzied  laughter,  lewd  dances,  insensate  clamor, 
the  splitting  of  the  vessel,  and  the  roar  of  the  hurricane 
cease;  the  ocean  overwhelms  all,  silence  reigns  over  the 
waters,  and  the  wrath  of  God  over  the  silent  waters. 

God  again  constructs,  and  the  new  divine  work  is 
again  destroyed  by  human  liberty.  A  son  is  born  to 
Noah,  who  puts  his  father  to  shame;  he  curses  his  son, 
and  with  him  all  his  race,  which  will  continue  to  bear 
this  curse  even  to  the  fullness  of  time.  After  the  deluge 
recommences  the  antediluvian  disorder;  and  the  sons  of 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM.  113 

God  again  contend  with  the  sons  of  men.  Here,  the 
divine  city  is  built,  and  there,  the  city  of  the  world. 
The  one  worships  Providence,  and  the  other  liberty ; 
and  liberty  and  Providence,  God  and  man,  renew  the 
gigantic  contest,  whose  great  vicissitudes  form  the  per¬ 
petual  subject  of  history.  The  people  of  God  are 
everywhere  conquered,  until  even  his  incommunicable 
and  holy  name  falls  into  profound  oblivion;  and  men, 
in  the  frenzy  of  their  victory,  unite  to  erect  a  tower 
which  shall  touch  the  clouds.  Fire  from  heaven  de¬ 
scends  upon  this  tower  erected  by  pride,  and  God  in  his 
wrath  confounds  the  languages  of  the  nations,  who  dis¬ 
perse  throughout  the  circumference  of  the  earth,  increase 
and  multiply,  and  fill  with  inhabitants  every  zone  and 
country.  Then  arise  great  and  populous  cities,  gigantic 
empires  full  of  pride  and  pomp,  and  brutal  and  ferocious 
hordes  "wander  in  insolent  idleness  through  immense 
forests  and  incommensurable  deserts.  The  world  is 
consumed  by  discord,  and  stupefied  with  the  frightful 
din  of  war.  Empires  fall  upon  empires,  cities  upon 
cities,  nations  upon  nations,  races  upon  races,  until  the 
earth  becomes  one  scene  of  universal  calamity  and  con¬ 
flagration.  The  abomination  of  desolation  is  spread 
over  the  world.  Where  then  is  God?  Why  does  he 
thus  abandon  the  world,  and  permit  human  liberty 
everywhere  to  triumph?  Why  does  he  allow  such  uni¬ 
versal  rebellion  and  tumult,  the  erection  of  idols,  and 
this  great  ravage  and  accumulated  ruin  ? 

One  day  God  called  unto  him  a  just  man,  and  said  to 
him,  I  will  make  thy  posterity  as  numerous  as  the  sand 
on  the  sea-shore  and  as  the  stars  of  heaven;  and  out 
of  this  favored  race  shall  be  born  the  Saviour  of  man¬ 
kind.  I  myself  will  conduct  this  people  by  my  provi- 

11 


114 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


dence;  and  that  they  may  not  fall,  I  will  give  them  in 
charge  to  my  angels.  I  will  perform  many  miracles  for 
them,  which  shall  testify  my  omnipotence  before  the 
nations.  And  the  works  of  God  were  in  conformity 
with  his  words.  His  people  were  enslaved,  and  he  raised 
them  up  deliverers ;  they  were  strangers  in  a  strange 
land,  when  he  brought  them  forth  from  Egypt  and  gave 
them  a  home  and  country.  They  suffered  hunger,  and 
he  gave  them  great  plenty;  they  were  thirsty,  and  the 
waters  gushed  forth  from  the  rocks,  obedient  to  his 
voice.  Multitudes  of  enemies  assailed  them,  and  the 
wrath  of  God  dissipated  their  numbers  like  a  cloud. 
Weeping,  they  hung  their  melodious  harps  on  the  wil¬ 
lows  of  Babylon;  and  he  redeemed  them  from  this  sad 
captivity,  and  they  again  beheld  Jerusalem  the  holy, 
predestined  and  beautiful.  He  gave  them  incorruptible 
judges,  who  ruled  them  with  peace  and  justice,  and  kings 
who  feared  God,  and  were  reputed  prudent,  good,  and 
wise.  He  sent  them  prophets,  who  unveiled  his  high 
designs,  and  showed  them  things  present  and  future. 
Yet  this  carnal  and  cruel  people  forgot  his  miracles,  re¬ 
jected  his  counsels,  abandoned  his  temple,  broke  forth 
into  blasphemies,  fell  into  idolatry,  outraged  his  incom¬ 
municable  name,  beheaded  his  holy  prophets,  and  excited 
tumults  and  revolts. 

In  the  mean  time  the  seventy  prophetical  weeks  of 
Daniel  were  accomplished;  and  he  who  was  to  come 
came;  sent  by  the  Father  for  the  redemption  of  the 
world  and  the  consolation  of  nations.  This  people, 
seeing  him  so  poor,  meek,  and  humble,  despised  his  hu¬ 
mility,  outraged  his  poverty,  scorned  his  gentleness, 
and  were  scandalized.  They  clothed  him  with  garments 
of  derision,  and,  secretly  impelled  by  the  demons  of  hell, 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


115 


they  made  him  drain  even  to  the  last  dregs  of  ignominy, 
on  the  cross,  after  having  loaded  him  with  insult  in  the 
hall  of  judgment. 

Being  crucified  by  the  Jews,  the  Son  of  God  called 
the  gentiles  unto  him,  and  they  came.  Yet  after  his 
coming,  as  before  he  came,  the  world  followed  the  path 
of  perdition,  and  remained  seated  in  the  shades  of 
death.  His  most  holy  Church  inherited  from  him  the 
privilege  of  suffering  persecution  and  outrage,  and  was 
insulted  and  persecuted  by  nations,  kings,  and  emperors. 
Out  of  her  own  bosom  came  forth  those  great  heresies 
which  encircled  her  cradle,  like  monsters  seeking  to  de¬ 
vour  her.  It  is  in  vain  that  they  are  crushed  by  the 
divine  Hercules.  The  tremendous  battle  between  the 
divine  and  human  Hercules,  between  God  and  man,  is 
renewed.  The  rage  of  the  servants  of  evil  equals  the 
ardor  of  the  people  of  God,  and  success  alternates. 
The  battle-field  is  so  vast  that  on  the  continents  it 
stretches  from  sea  to  sea,  and  on  the  sea  extends  from 
continent  to  continent,  until  it  covers  the  world  from 
pole  to  pole.  The  conquering  hosts  of  Europe  are  con¬ 
quered  in  Asia,  and  the  vanquished  in  Africa  triumph 
in  America.  There  is  no  man  whatever,  whether  he 
knows  it  or  not,  who  is  not  enlisted  in  this  furious  com¬ 
bat;  no  one  wTho  has  not  an  active  share  in  the  respons¬ 
ibility  of  defeat  or  victory.  All  are  alike  engaged  in 
this  struggle;  the  galley  slave  in  his  chains,  and  the 
king  upon  his  throne,  the  poor  and  the  rich,  the  healthy 
and  the  sick,  the  wise  and  the  foolish,  the  captive  and 
the  free,  the  old  and  the  young,  the  civilized  and  the 
savage.  Every  word  that  is  uttered  is  inspired  either 
by  the  world  or  by  God,  and  forcibly  proclaims,  either 
implicitly  or  explicitly,  but  always  distinctly,  either  the 


116 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


glory  of  the  one  or  the  triumph  of  the  other.  All  are 
constrained  to  enlist  in  this  strange  army,  in  which  no 
substitutes  nor  voluntary  enlistments  are  allowed,  nor 
any  exception  made  for  old  age.  None  among  this 
soldiery  may  say,  I  am  the  son  of  a  poor  widow,  or 
the  mother  of  a  paralytic,  or  the  wife  of  a  cripple.  All 
mankind  alike  belong  to  this  army. 

Nor  is  any  one  permitted  to  say  that  he  is  not  dis¬ 
posed  to  combat;  for,  in  the  act  of  saying  so,  he  already 
combats;  and  it  is  easy  to  perceive  to  which  side  he  in¬ 
clines;  because  by  this  very  declaration  he  plainly  be¬ 
trays  his  inclinations.  Nor  can  any  one  declare  that 
he  is  neutral,  because,  if  he  wishes  to  be  so,  he  is 
already  enlisted;  nor  can  he  reiterate  that  he  will  con¬ 
tinue  indifferent,  for  by  these  very  words  he  clearly  indi¬ 
cates  which  side  he  embraces.  Let  no  one  seek  to  avoid 
the  perils  of  this  war,  for  he  will  do  so  in  vain.  This 
war  extends  throughout  space,  and  will  last  to  the  end 
of  time.  Only  in  eternity,  the  home  of  the  just,  can 
rest  be  found;  because  then  alone  the  combat  ceases. 
Nor  will  the  gates  of  heaven  open  to  receive  any  who 
cannot  show  that  they  have  suffered  in  this  conflict. 
These  portals  are  closed  against  all  who  do  not  here 
below  bravely  fight  the  battles  of  the  Lord,  and  like  him 
bear  the  cross. 

The  contemplation  of  the  spectacle  which  history 
presents  to  us,  must  inevitably  lead  the  man  who  is  not 
enlightened  by  faith  to  adopt  one  of  the  two  systems  of 
manicheism :  either  the  ancient  system,  according  to 
which  there  is  a  principle  of  good  and  also  a  principle  of 
evil,  and  each  of  these  principles  is  embodied  in  a  god, 
and  between  these  gods  the  only  law  is  war;  or  the 
system  of  Proudhon,  who  affirms  that  in  God  is  the 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


117 


principle  of  evil,  that  in  man  is  the  principle  of  good, 
and  that  the  human  and  divine  powers  are  two  potent 
rivals,  the  only  duty  of  man  being  to  conquer  God,  who 
is  his  enemy. 

These  two  systems  of  manicheism  are  naturally  de¬ 
rived  from  the  consideration  of  the  perpetual  warfare  to 
which  the  world  is  condemned.  The  first  is  in  greater 
conformity  with  ancient  traditions,  and  the  second  hears 
a  closer  resemblance  to  the  doctrines  of  modern  times. 
However,  it  must  be  confessed  that  if  we  only  regard 
the  notorious  fact  of  this  gigantic  contest,  apart  from 
the  glimpses  we  have  of  the  existence  of  a  marvelous 
harmony  between  things  human  and  divine,  between  the 
visible  and  invisible,  and  the  created  and  uncreated,  this 
fact  may  be  amply  explained  by  either  of  these  two 
systems. 

The  difficulty  does  not  consist  in  explaining  any  fact, 
whatever  it  may  be,  considered  in  itself.  There  is  no 
isolated  fact  which  may  not  be  viewed  in  this  way,  and 
sufficiently  explained  by  a  hundred  different  hypotheses. 
But  the  real  difficulty  is  to  satisfy  the  metaphysical  con¬ 
ditions  upon  which  every  explanation  must  rest,  and 
according  to  which  it  is  necessary,  that  the  explanation 
of  any  evident  fact,  in  order  to  be  admissible,  should 
not  render  other  manifest  and  evident  facts  inexplicable, 
or  leave  them  unexplained.  Now,  either  of  the  mani- 
chean  systems  explains  that  which  by  its  nature  implies 
a  dualism,  and  a  war  supposes  it;  yet  neither  of  them 
can  explain  that  which  by  its  nature  is  one:  and  reason 
even  unenlightened  by  faith  can  fully  prove,  either 
that  there  is  no  God,  or,  if  he  exist,  that  he  is  one. 
Either  of  the  maniehean  systems  explains  the  war¬ 
fare  that  is  waged,  but  neither  of  them  can  give  an  ex- 

11* 


118 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 

plication  of  the  final  victory;  because  a  definitive  vic¬ 
tory  of  evil  over  good,  or  of  good  over  evil,  implies  the 
entire  suppression  of  the  one  or  of  the  other,  while  that 
which  has  a  real  and  necessary  existence  cannot  be  de¬ 
finitively  suppressed.  According  to  the  principles  of 
manicheism,  therefore,  the  combat  which  seemed  to  be 
sufficiently  explained  remains  inexplicable;  because  a 
combat  is  unintelligible  where  victory  is  forever  impos¬ 
sible. 

If  we  pass  from  the  investigation  of  the  general  ab¬ 
surdity  of  every  manichean  explanation  to  the  especial 
inconsistency  of  the  explanation  of  Proudhon,  we  shall 
clearly  see  that  it  implies  every  possible  absurdity, 
and  that  there  are  even  things  in  this  explication  un¬ 
worthy  of  the  majesty  of  the  absurd.  In  effect,  when 
Mr.  Proudhon  calls  evil  good,  and  good  evil,  he  is 
not  guilty  of  an  absurdity;  for  the  absurd  supposes 
greater  genius;  but  this  is  mere  buffoonery.  The 
peculiar  absurdity  is  not  simply  in  making  this  asser¬ 
tion,  but  in  having  no  object  whatever  in  doing  so. 
From  the  moment  that  it  is  affirmed  that  good  and 
evil  coexist  in  man  and  in  God,  locally  and  substan¬ 
tially,  the  question  which  consisted  in  establishing 
from  whence  proceeds  evil,  and  from  whence  good, 
becomes  useless.  Man  will  attribute  evil  to  God  and 
good  to  himself,  and  God  will  assert  that  in  him  is  all 
good,  and  in  man  evil.  Therefore  evil  and  good  will 
exist  everywhere  and  nowhere.  The  question  will  then 
reduce  itself  to  this:  which  side  will  be  victorious?  As 
this  hypothesis  makes  no  distinction  between  good  and 
evil,  it  falls  into  the  ridiculous  puerility  of  contradicting 
the  common  sentiment  of  mankind.  The  absurdity 
which  is  peculiar  to  Mr.  Proudhon  is,  that  his  dualism 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


119 


is  a  dualism  of  three  parts,  constituting  an  absolute 
unity;  by  which  we  see  that  it  is  rather  a  mathematical 
than  a  religious  absurdity.  The  manichean  dualism 
asserts  that  in  God  is  the  principle  of  evil,  and  in  man 
that  of  good;  but  in  man,  wherein  exists  the  principle 
of  good,  there  are  two  powers:  a  faculty  essentially  in¬ 
stinctive,  and  another  faculty  essentially  logical;  by  the 
first  he  is  God,  by  the  second  he  is  man;  from  which  it 
follows  that  the  two  unities  are  divided  into  three,  and 
this  without  their  ceasing  to  be  two;  because,  outside  of 
man  and  of  God,  there  exists  neither  substantial  evil 
nor  substantial  good,  no  antagonism — there  is  nothing. 
We  will  now  see  how  the  two  unities,  which  are  three 
unities,  are  converted  into  one  without  ceasing  to  be  two 
unities  and  three  unities.  Unity  is  in  God;  for  besides 
that  he  is  God,  through  the  instinctive  faculty  which  is 
also  in  man,  he  is  man.  Unity  is  also  in  man,  because 
he  is  man  by  his  logical  faculty,  and  he  is  God  by  his 
instinctive  faculty;  and  consequently  man  is  both  man 
and  God.  It  results  from  all  this,  that  dualism,  without 
ceasing  to  be  dualism,  is  threefold;  that  trinity,  with¬ 
out  ceasing  to  be  threefold,  is  dualism;  and  that  dual¬ 
ism  and  trinity,  without  ceasing  to  be  what  they  are  re¬ 
spectively,  are  unity;  and  that  unity,  which  is  unity 
without  ceasing  to  be  dualism  and  trinity,  is  in  two 
parts. 

If  the  citizen  Proudhon  were  to  proclaim  that  he  has 
a  mission,  which  he  does  not;  and  if  he  were  able  to 
prove  that  his  mission  is  divine,  which  he  cannot ;  yet 
his  theory,  which  we  have  just  exposed,  ought  to  be  re¬ 
jected  as  absurd  and  impossible.  The  personal  union 
of  evil  and  good,  considered  as  substantially  existing, 
is  impossible  and  absurd,  because  it  involves  an  evident 


120 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


contradiction.  In  the  diversity  of  persons  and  unity 
of  essence,  which  constitute  the  triune  and  one  God  of 
the  Christians,  as  in  the  distinction  of  two  natures  in 
the  person  of  the  Son  made  man,  there  is  doubtless  a 
profound  obscurity,  yet  not  a  logical  impossibility,  as 
there  is  no  contradiction  in  the  terms.  If  it  involves 
much  that  is  obscure  to  the  eye  of  reason,  yet  there  is 
nothing  essentially  contradictory  in  affirming  of  three 
persons  that  they  are  one  in  substance;  or  in  the  asser¬ 
tion  that  three  substances  exist  in  one  person.  That 
which  is  radically  impossible,  because  it  is  an  evident 
absurdity  and  a  palpable  contradiction,  is,  after  having 
asserted  the  substantial  existence  of  good  and  evil,  to 
assert  that  they  substantially  exist  sustained  by  one 
and  the  same  person.  How  admirable !  Man  cannot 
fly  from  the  obscurity  of  Catholicism  without  being  en¬ 
veloped  in  still  greater  darkness;  nor  can  he  fly  from 
that  which  baffles  his  reason  without  meeting  that  which 
is  contradictory  to  it,  and  therefore  a  denial  of  reason. 

Let  it  not  be  supposed  that  the  world  adopts  the 
views  of  rationalism  in  spite  of  its  absurd  contradic¬ 
tions  and  its  profound  obscurity;  it  adopts  them  on 
that  very  account.  Reason  adopts  error  wherever  it 
can  be  found,  like  a  doting  mother,  who  follows  the 
child  of  her  love,  the  fruit  of  her  womb,  wherever  this 
child  may  go,  even  though  it  be  into  the  deepest  abyss. 
Error  will  cause  her  death ;  but  what  matters  it  to  the 
mother  to  die  if  she  receive  her  death  at  the  hands  of 
her  child? 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


121 


CHAPTER  IY. 

How  Catholicism  explains  the  dogmas  of  Providence  and  of 

Liberty,  without  adopting  the  theory  of  a  rivalry  between 

God  and  man. 

In  nothing  does  the  incomparable  beauty  of  Catholic 
solutions  show  itself  so  conspicuously  as  in  its  univer¬ 
sality,  that  incommunicable  attribute  of  divine  solutions. 
The  moment  we  embrace  a  Catholic  solution,  all  that 
was  previously  dark  and  obscure  becomes  clear,  night 
becomes  day,  and  order  proceeds  from  chaos.  In  each 
of  these  explanations  may  be  found  that  sovereign  attri¬ 
bute  and  secret  virtue  which  produces  the  great  wonder 
of  universal  light.  The  only  obscure  point,  amid  the 
light  thus  diffused,  is  the  mystery  itself,  from  which  pro¬ 
ceeds  so  much  brightness;  and  the  reason  of  this  is, 
that  man,  not  being  God,  cannot  possess  that  divine 
attribute,  by  which  the  Lord,  in  his  ineffable  glory, 
clearly  sees  all  things  created.  Man  is  condemned  out 
of  darkness  to  receive  light,  and  out  of  light  the  expla¬ 
nation  of  what  is  obscure.  For  him,  there  is  nothing 
evident  which  does  not  proceed  from  an  impenetrable 
mystery.  But  between  things  mysterious  and  those 
that  are  evident,  there  is,  however,  this  notable  differ¬ 
ence:  that  man  may  render  obscure  that  which  is  evi¬ 
dent,  but  he  cannot  explain  the  mysterious.  When,  in 
attempting  to  acquire  that  ineffable  knowledge  which  is 
in  God,  but  which  he  has  not  himself,  he  rejects  as  ob¬ 
scure  the  divine  explanations,  he  consigns  himself  to 


122 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


the  intricate  and  gloomy  labyrinths  of  human  solutions; 
then  follows,  what  we  have  just  demonstrated,  that  his 
solution  is  partial,  and  as  such  incomplete,  and  therefore 
false.  At  first  view,  his  solution  may  seem  to  explain 
something,  but  upon  investigation  it  will  be  seen  that  it 
really  fails  to  give  an  explanation  of  what  it  appears  to 
solve,  and  reason,  which  begins  by  accepting  it  as  plausi¬ 
ble,  finally  rejects  it  as  insufficient,  contradictory,  and 
absurd.  This  has  been  completely  proved  in  the  preceding 
chapter,  with  regard  to  the  question  which  we  are  now 
considering ;  and,  having  shown  the  manifest  deficiency 
of  the  human  solution,  it  only  remains  for  us  to  demon¬ 
strate  the  adequacy  and  entire  consistency  of  the  Cath¬ 
olic  solution. 

God,  who  is  the  absolute  good,  is  the  supreme  creator 
of  all  good ;  and  all  that  he  creates  is  good.  But  as 
God  cannot  give  the  creature  all  that  He  possesses,  nor 
give  him  that  which  He  himself  has  not,  it  follows  that 
it  is  altogether  impossible  either  that  God  should  com¬ 
municate  evil,  which  dwells  not  in  Him,  to  any  creature, 
or  that  He  should  communicate  absolute  good  ;  both  are 
manifest  impossibilities,  because  we  cannot  conceive  the 
imparting  of  that  which  one  does  not  possess,  nor  can  we 
conceive  that  the  creator  should  remain  absorbed  by  the 
creature.  Not  being  able  to  communicate  absolute  good¬ 
ness,  which  would  be  to  make  of  the  creature  another 
God  like  himself,  nor  to  impart  evil,  which  dwells  not 
in  him  in  any  manner,  he  therefore  bestows  a  relative 
goodness,  whereby  he  imparts  all  that  it  is  in  his  power 
to  give,  namely,  something  of  that  which  is  in  him,  but 
which  is  not  himself ;  thus  producing  between  him  and 
the  creature  a  likeness  which  attests  the  derivation,  and 
at  the  same  time  showing  a  difference  which  attests  the 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM.  128 

infinite  distinction  between  him  and  his  creature ;  so 
that  every  creature,  by  the  very  fact  of  its  existence, 
testifies  that  he  is  but  a  creature,  and  that  God  is  his 
creator. 

God  being  the  creator  of  all  things  created,  all  crea¬ 
tion  is  good  by  a  relative  goodness.  Man  is  good  as 
man,  the  angel  as  angel,  and  the  tree  as  tree.  Even 
the  angel  who  gleams  with  lurid  light  in  the  abyss,  and 
the  very  abyss  from  which  proceeds  this  ghastly  splen¬ 
dor,  are  things  good  and  excellent.  The  prince  of  dark¬ 
ness  is  in  himself  good,  because,  in  becoming  what  he  is, 
he  has  not  ceased  to  be  an  angel,  and  God  created  the 
angelical  nature  excellent  above  all  things  created;  and 
the  abyss  is  in  itself  good,  because  it  is  ordained  for  an 
end  sovereignly  good. 

And,  though  all  things  created  are  good  and  excel¬ 
lent,  Catholicism  affirms  the  existence  of  evil,  and  the 
great  and  fearful  ravage  committed  by  it  in  the  world. 
The  question  consists  in  establishing  what  is  evil ;  and, 
on  the  other  hand,  whence  it  comes ;  and  finally,  in 
what  way  even  its  dissonance  contributes  to  the  general 
harmony. 

Evil  has  its  origin  in  the  use  which  man  made  of  the 
faculty  of  choice,  which,  as  we  have  said,  constitutes  the 
imperfection  of  human  liberty.  This  faculty  was  con¬ 
fined  within  certain  limits  imposed  by  the  very  nature 
of  things.  As  all  things  were  good,  this  faculty  could 
not  consist  in  choosing  between  things  good,  which  neces¬ 
sarily  existed,  and  things  evil,  which  had  no  existence; 
it  consisted  only  in  embracing  or  renouncing  good,  in 
affirming  or  denying  it.  When  the  human  mind,  in  the 
exercise  of  this  power,  withdrew  itself  from  the  divine 
mind,  it  was  thus  separated  from  truth,  and  ceased  to 


124 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


comprehend  it.  When  the  human  will  deviated  from 
the  divine  will,  it  was  thus  separated  from  good,  ceased 
to  desire  it,  and  therefore  to  execute  it.  But  as  man 
could  not  cease  to  exercise  his  inherent  and  inamissible 
faculties,  so  he  could  not  cease  to  understand,  to  will, 
and  to  act ;  for  this  would  have  been  ceasing  to  exist. 
But,  separated  from  God,  what  he  understood  was  not 
the  truth,  which  dwells  in  God  alone ;  what  he  willed 
was  not  the  good,  which  is  to  be  found  only  in  God ; 
and  what  he  did,  could  not  be  that  which  he  neither 
understood  nor  willed ;  and  which,  not  being  accepted 
by  his  understanding  or  will,  could  not  be  the  term  of 
his  actions.  The  term  of  his  understanding  was  there¬ 
fore  error,  which  is  the  negation  of  truth ;  the  term  of 
his  will  was  evil,  which  is  the  negation  of  good;  and  the 
end  of  his  actions  was  sin,  which  is  the  simultaneous 
negation  of  truth  and  good ;  these  being  only  diverse 
manifestations  of  the  same  thing,  considered  under  dif¬ 
ferent  points  of  view. 

As  sin  denies  all  that  God  affirms  with  his  under¬ 
standing,  which  is  truth ;  and  all  that  he  affirms  with 
his  will,  which  is  good;  and  as  there  are  no  other  affirm¬ 
ations  in  God  than  truth,  which  is  in  his  understanding, 
and  good  which  is  in  his  will — God  being  these  same 
affirmations  substantially  considered  —  it  follows  that 
sin,  which  denies  all  that  God  affirms,  virtually  denies 
God  in  all  his  affirmations ;  and  because  it  denies  him, 
and  does  no  other  thing  but  deny  him,  it  is  therefore  the 
supreme,  universal,  and  absolute  negation. 

This  negation  did  not  and  could  not  affect  the  essence 
of  things  that  exist  independently  of  the  human  will,  and 
which,  after  as  before  the  prevarication,  were  not  only 
good  in  themselves,  but  likewise  perfect  and  excellent. 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM.  125 

But,  if  sin  did  not  deprive  them  of  this  excellence,  it 
disturbed  the  sovereign  harmony  that  the  divine  creator 
established  among  them,  that  delicate  connection  and 
perfect  order  with  which  they  were  united  the  one  to 
the  other,  and  all  to  God,  when  they  were  brought  forth 
from  chaos  by  an  act  of  God’s  infinite  goodness.  In 
this  state  of  perfect  order  and  admirable  connection,  all 
things  tended  toward  God  with  a  determined  and  irre¬ 
sistible  impulsion.  Impelled  by  the  law  of  love,  the 
angel,  a  pure  spirit,  gravitated  with  an  ardent  and  im¬ 
petuous  desire  toward  God,  as  the  center  of  all  spirits. 
Man,  less  perfect  but  not  less  loving,  was  drawn  by  the 
same  attraction  to  become  associated  with  the  angel  in 
the  bosom  of  God,  the  center  of  angelical  and  human 
gravitation.  Even  matter,  agitated  by  a  secret  power 
of  ascension,  followed  the  gravitation  of  spirits  toward 
the  supreme  creator,  who  sweetly  attracts  all  things  to 
himself.  And  thus,  as  all  these  things,  considered  in 
themselves,  are  the  exterior  manifestations  of  the  essen¬ 
tial  good  which  is  in  God,  so  the  manner  of  being  we 
have  just  indicated  is  the  exterior  manifestation  of  God’s 
manner  of  existence,  and  is,  as  his  very  essence,  perfect 
and  excellent.  Things  created  had  a  perfection  suscep¬ 
tible  of  change,  and  another  perfection  which  was  neces¬ 
sary  and  inamissible.  Their  inamissible  and  necessary 
perfection  was  the  essential  good  that  God  imparted  to 
every  creature,  and  their  perfection  which  is  contingent 
and  liable  to  be  lost,  was  that  manner  of  being  which 
God  gave  to  them  when  he  created  them  out  of  nothing. 
God  wished  that  they  should  always  be  what  they  are, 
but  he  did  not  wish  that  they  should  necessarily  exist  in 
the  same  manner ;  he  withdrew  the  essences  from  all 
jurisdiction  except  his  own,  and  he  placed  for  a  time 

12 


126 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


the  order  in  which  they  are,  under  the  jurisdiction  of 
those  beings  whom  he  formed  intelligent  and  free;  from 
which  it  follows  that  the  evil,  produced  either  by  angel¬ 
ical  or  human  free  will,  could  not  be,  and  was  not,  any¬ 
thing  else  than  the  negation  of  the  order  in  which  God 

has  placed  all  things  created.  This  negation  is  expressed 

« 

by  the  word  even  which  declares  it,  since  it  is  called  dis- 
order.  Disorder  is  the  negation  of  order,  that  is  to  say, 
of  the  divine  affirmation  with  regard  to  the  manner  of 
being  of  all  things.  And  thus,  as  order  consists  in  the 
union  of  things  that  God  wished  to  be  united,  and  in  the 
separation  of  those  which  he  wished  to  be  separated, 
so  disorder  consists  in  uniting  those  things  which  God 
wished  to  be  separated,  and  in  separating  those  which 
God  wished  to  be  united. 

The  disorder  produced  by  the  angelical  rebellion  con¬ 
sisted  in  a  partial  separation  of  the  rebel  angel  from 
God,  who  was  his  center,  by  a  change  in  his  manner  of 
being,  which  converted  his  movement  of  gravitation 
toward  God  into  a  movement  of  rotation  upon  himself. 

The  disorder  caused  by  man’s  prevarication  resembled 
that  produced  by  the  rebellion  of  the  angels.  As  there 
cannot  be  two  different  ways  of  being  a  prevaricator  and 
a  rebel,  after  man  ceased  to  gravitate  toward  God  by  his 
understanding,  his  will,  and  his  actions,  he  constituted 
himself  the  center  of  his  own  movements,  and  made  him¬ 
self  the  ultimate  end  of  his  works,  his  will,  and  his 
understanding. 

The  confusion  produced  by  this  prevarication  was 
deep  and  profound.  When  man  separated  himself  from 
God,  all  his  faculties  became  immediately  disconnected 
one  from  the  other,  constituting  themselves  into  so  many 
divergent  centers.  His  understanding  lost  its  authority 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


127 


over  his  will,  his  will  no  longer  directed  his  actions,  the 
flesh  departed  from  its  former  obedience  to  the  spirit, 
and  the  spirit,  which  had  been  submissive  to  God,  be¬ 
came  subjected  to  the  flesh.  Previously,  all  had  been 
concordant  and  harmonious  in  man ;  but  now,  all  was 
converted  into  war,  tumult,  contradiction,  dissonance. 
His  nature,  which  had  been  supremely  harmonious, 
became  profoundly  antithetical. 

This  disorder,  caused  in  man  by  himself,  was  trans¬ 
mitted  from  him  to  the  universe,  and  affected  the  mode 
of  being  of  all  things  which  had  been  subjected  to 
him,  and  which  now  revolted  against  him.  When  man 
ceased  to  be  the  servant  of  God,  he  ceased  to  be  the 
prince  of  the  earth,  which  is  not  surprising,  when  we 
reflect  that  the  right  to  this  terrestrial  authority  was 
based  upon  his  obedience  to  God.  Even  the  animals, 
to  which  he  had  given  names,  as  a  mark  of  his  domin¬ 
ion  over  them,  no  longer  heard  his  voice  or  obeyed  his 
commands.  The  earth  became  overgrown  with  bram¬ 
bles  ;  the  heavens  flashed  lightning ;  the  flowers  armed 
themselves  with  thorns ;  all  nature  seemed  as  if  pos¬ 
sessed  with  an  insensate  rage  against  man  ;  the  seas,  at 
his  approach,  lashed  their  waves  into  fury,  and  their 
depths  resounded  with  a  frightful  clamor ;  the  mount¬ 
ains  raised  their  heads  even  to  the  clouds  to  arrest  his 
progress ;  the  fields  were  overrun  by  impetuous  tor¬ 
rents  ;  the  whirlwind  crushed  his  fragile  dwelling ;  the 
reptiles  spat  forth  against  him  their  deadly  venom  ;  the 
herbs  distilled  their  fatal  poisons ;  and  at  every  step  he 
feared  an  ambush,  and  in  every  ambush  death. 

If  we  accept  the  Catholic  interpretation  of  evil,  all 
that  without  this  explanation  and  outside  of  it  appears 
and  is  inexplicable,  becomes  clear.  Evil,  according  to 


128 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


the  Catholic  dogma,  not  having  a  real  but  a  negative 
existence,  cannot  serve  as  material  for  a  new  crea¬ 
tion,  and  consequently  the  difficulty  which  would  arise 
from  the  coexistence  of  two  diverse  and  simultaneous 
creations,  is  avoided.  This  difficulty  would  increase  at 
every  step  of  our  examination,  if  we  accepted  the  sup¬ 
position  of  a  dualism  in  creation.  For,  this  hypothesis 
admitted,  it  would  forcibly  imply  another  dualism  much 
more  repugnant  to  human  reason,  that  of  an  essential 
dualism  in  the  divinity,  whom  we  must  either  suppose  to 
be  a  simple  essence,  or  we  cannot  conceive  at  all.  This 
divine  dualism  involves  the  idea  of  a  rivalry,  which 
would  be  at  the  same  time  necessary  and  impossible ; 
necessary,  because  two  Gods  who  are  antagonistic,  and 
two  essences  that  are  repugnant  to  each  other,  are  con¬ 
demned,  by  the  very  nature  of  things,  to  an  incessant 
struggle ;  and  impossible,  because  a  definitive  victory  is 
the  final  object  of  every  contest;  and  this  definitive  vic¬ 
tory  would  be  either  in  the  suppression  of  evil  for  good, 
or  of  good  for  evil ;  and  yet  neither  can  be  suppressed, 
because  they  both  exist  in  an  essential,  and  therefore  in 
a  necessary  manner.  From  the  impossibility  of  sup¬ 
pression  follows  the  impossibility  of  victory,  which  is 
the  final  object  of  all  dispute,  and  therefore  the  radical 
impossibility  of  the  dispute  itself.  The  contradiction 
that  exists  in  every  system  of  manicheism,  as  applied 
to  the  divinity,  also  exists  as  applied  to  man,  in  whom 
we  cannot  suppose  the  substantial  coexistence  of  good 
and  evil.  This  contradiction  is  absurd,  and  therefore 
inconceivable.  To  affirm  of  man  that  he  is  at  the 
same  time  essentially  good  and  essentially  evil,  is  equiv¬ 
alent  to  the  assertion  of  one  of  these  two  things :  either, 
that  man  is  a  unit,  formed  of  two  opposite  natures,  and 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


129 


in  this  affirmation  the  manichean  system  would  unite 
what  in  the  divinity  it  is  obliged  to  separate ;  or,  to 
assert  that  the  essence  of  man  is  one,  and  that,  being 
one,  it  is  evil  and  good  at  the  same  time,  which  is  at 
once  to  affirm  and  deny  of  the  same  thing  all  that  is 
denied  and  affirmed  of  that  very  thing. 

The  Catholic  system  admits  the  existence  of  evil,  but 
its  existence  is  modal,  not  essential.  Evil,  thus  consid¬ 
ered,  is  synonymous  with  disorder,  and,  in  reality,  it  is 
nothing  else  than  the  disordered  condition  of  that  which 
is  essentially  good,  and  which,  by  a  secret  and  myste¬ 
rious  cause,  has  ceased  to  be  properly  regulated.  But 
the  Catholic  system  points  out  to  us  this  secret  and 
mysterious  cause,  and  if,  in  this  indication,  there  is 
much  that  surpasses  our  reason,  there  is  nothing  which 
contradicts  or  is  repugnant  to  it.  It  is  not  necessary 
to  have  recourse  to  a  divine  intervention,  in  order  to 
explain  a  modal  perturbation »in  things  which,  after  this 
disturbance,  preserve  their  essence  pure  and  intact ;  in 
such  an  explanation  there  would  be  no  proportion  be¬ 
tween  the  effect  and  its  cause.  This  fact  is  sufficiently 
explained  by  the  anarchical  intervention  of  free  and 
intelligent  beings  ;  for,  if  these  beings  could  not  in  any 
way  alter  the  marvelous  order  and  concerted  harmony 
of  creation,  they  could  not  be  regarded  as  free  or  intel¬ 
ligent.  Evil,  then,  is  accidental  and  ephemeral  in  its 
nature,  and  as  such  we  may  affirm  of  it,  without  contra¬ 
diction  or  inconsistency,  these  two  things:  first,  that  evil 
cannot  in  any  way  be  a  wrork  of  God;  second,  that  what¬ 
ever  is  accidental  and  ephemeral  must  be  the  work  of 
man.  In  this  way  the  affirmations  of  reason  blend  with 
the  affirmations  of  Catholicism.  According  to  the  Cath¬ 
olic  system,  all  absurdities  disappear  and  all  contradic- 

12* 


130 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 

tions  are  suppressed.  By  this  system,  the  creation  is 
one,  and  God  is  one;  and,  in  setting  aside  a  divine  dual¬ 
ism,  we  put  an  end  to  the  wTar  of  the  gods.  Evil  exists, 
because  without  it  we  cannot  imagine  human  liberty. 
But  the  evil  that  exists  is  accidental  and  not  essential, 
because,  if  it  were  essential  and  not  accidental,  it  would 
be  a  work  of  God,  the  creator  of  all  things.  This  would 
involve  a  contradiction,  repugnant  both  to  divine  and 
human  reason.  Evil  comes  from  man,  and  is  in  man, 
and,  coming  from  and  dwelling  in  him,  there  is  in  it  a 
great  agreement,  and  no  contradiction  whatever.  There 
is  agreement,  because  inasmuch  as  evil  cannot  be  the 
work  of  God,  man  could  not  choose  it,  if  he  could  not 
create  it;  and  he  would  not  be  free,  if  he  could  not 
choose  it.  There  is  no  contradiction  in  this,  because 
Catholicism,  in  affirming  of  man  that  he  is  good  in  his 
essence,  and  evil,  by  accident,  does  not  assert  of  him 
the  same  that  it  denies,  n'or  does  it  deny  what  it  affirms, 
because,  to  affirm  of  man  that  the  evil  in  his  nature  is 
accidental  and  not  essential,  is  not  to  affirm  contra¬ 
dictory  things,  but  only  two  different  things. 

Finally,  the  Catholic  system  subverts  that  blasphe¬ 
mous  and  impious  system  which  supposes  a  perpetual 
antagonism  between  God  and  man,  between  the  creator 
and  the  creature.  Man,  the  author  of  evil,  which  is  of 
itself  accidental  and  transitory,  cannot  be  compared 
with  God,  the  creator,  supporter,  and  regulator  of  all 
beings  and  all  things.  Nor  can  there  exist  any  con¬ 
ceivable  rivalry  or  possible  competition  between  these 
two  existences,  which  are  separated  by  an  infinite  dis¬ 
tance.  The  battle  between  the  creator  of  essential  good 
and  the  creator  of  essential  evil,  as  asserted  by  the  Mani- 
chean  and  Proudhonian  systems,  is  inconceivable  and  ab- 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


131 


surd,  because  victory  would  be  an  impossibility  in  such  a 
contest.  The  Catholic  system  does  not  suppose  a  contest, 
because  there  cannot  be  a  conflict  between  parties,  where 
one  side  must  necessarily  be  victorious  and  the  other 
necessarily  vanquished.  Two  conditions  are  requisite 
for  the  existence  of  a  contest :  one,  that  victory  is  pos¬ 
sible;  and  the  other,  that  it  should  be  uncertain.  Every 
struggle  is  useless  when  the  victory  is  certain,  or  when 
it  is  impossible;  from  which  it  follows  that,  in  whatever 
way  we  consider  it,  the  hypothesis  of  these  great  battles 
fought  for  universal  domination  and  supreme  sway  is 
absurd.  And  the  inconsistency  is  equally  great,  whether 
one  sovereign  or  two  are  supposed:  in  the  first  case, 
because  he  who  is  one  will  always  be  alone ;  and  sec¬ 
ondly,  because  the  two  would  never  be  one,  but  per¬ 
petually  two.  These  gigantic  contests  are  such,  that 
they  are  either  decided  before  they  commence,  or  will 
never  be  decided. 


'  CHAPTER  Y. 

Secret  analogies  between  the  physical  and  moral  perturbations, 

caused  by  human  liberty. 

How  far  the  lamentable  fall  of  man  changed  the 
aspect  of  all  creation,  and  up  to  what  point  the  ruin  it 
involved  extended,  is  beyond  the  power  of  human  inves¬ 
tigation.  But  that  which  is  established  beyond  all  dis¬ 
pute  is  that  the  spirit  and  flesh  both  suffered  a  degrada¬ 
tion  in  Adam;  the  former  by  pride,  and  the  latter  by 
concupiscence. 


132 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


As  the  physical  and  the  moral  degradation  proceed 
from  the  same  cause,  they  both  present  surprising  anal¬ 
ogies  and  correspondencies  in  their  various  manifesta¬ 
tions. 

We  have  already  said  that  sin,  the  primitive  cause  of 
all  degradation,  was  nothing  else  than  disorder;  and  as 
order  consisted  in  the  perfect  equilibrium  of  all  things 
created,  and  this  equilibrium  in  their  hierarchical  sub¬ 
ordination  to  each  other,  and  in  the  absolute  subjection 
of  all  to  their  Creator,  it  follows  that  sin,  or  disorder, 
which  is  the  same  thing,  was  nothing  else  than  the 
weakening  of  this  hierarchical  order  of  things,  and  of 
their  absolute  subjection  to  the  Supreme  Being.  Or, 
what  is  the  same,  sin  consisted  in  the  interruption  of 
that  perfect  equilibrium  and  marvelous  connection  in 
which  all  things  had  been  placed. 

And  as  effects  must  always  be  analogous  to  their 
causes,  the  result  produced  by  the  fall  was,  to  a  certain 
point,  like  the  fall  itself;  that  is,  disorder ,  disunion , 
and  a  disequilibrium. 

Sin  was  the  disunion  of  man  and  God. 

Sin  produced  both  a  moral  and  a  physical  disorder. 

The  moral  disorder  consisted  in  the  ignorance  of  the 
understanding  and  the  weakness  of  the  will. 

This  ignorance  of  the  understanding  was  caused  by 
its  disunion  from  the  divine  mind.  The  weakness  of 
the  will  was  caused  by  its  disunion  from  the  supreme 
will. 

The  physical  disorder  produced  by  sin  consisted  in 
sickness  and  death;  so  that  sickness  is  only  disorder, 
disunion,  and  disequilibrium  of  the  constitutive  parts  of 
our  body. 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


138 


Death  is  only  the  same  disunion,  the  same  disorder, 
the  same  disequilibrium,  carried  to  its  extreme  point. 

Therefore  the  physical  and  moral  disorder,  ignorance, 
and  weakness  of  will  on  the  one  side,  and  sickness  and 
death  on  the  other,  are  the  same  thing. 

This  will  be  seen  more  clearly  when  we  consider  that 
all  these  disorders,  physical  as  well  as  moral,  come 
under  the  same  denomination  in  their  beginning  and  in 
their  end. 

The  concupiscence  of  the  flesh,  and  the  pride  of  the 
spirit,  bear  the  same  name — sin;  and  the  definitive  dis¬ 
union  of  the  soul  from  God,  and  of  the  body  from  the 
soul,  bear  the  same  name — death. 

By  which  we  see  that  the  connection  between  the 
physical  and  the  moral  is  so  close  that  we  can  alone 
perceive  the  difference  at  an  intermediate  point,  inas¬ 
much  as  the  beginning  and  end  are  the  same.  And 
how  could  it  be  otherwise,  if  the  physical  and  the  moral 
alike  come  from  God  and  end  in  God;  if  God  exists 
before  sin  and  after  death? 

This  intimate  connection  between  the  moral  and  the 
physical  might  be  unknown  to  the  earth,  which  is  purely 
material,  and  to  the  angels,  who  are  purely  spiritual ; 
but  how  could  it  be  hidden  from  man,  who  is  composed 
of  an  immortal  soul  united  to  a  corporeal  substance,  and 
placed  by  God  at  the  confluence  of  the  two  worlds? 

The  great  perturbation  produced  by  sin  did  not  stop 
here.  Not  only  did  Adam  become  subject  to  sickness 
and  death,  but  likewise  all  the  earth  was  cursed  on  his 
account  and  in  his  name. 

As  regards  this  tremendous,  and,  in  a  certain  meas¬ 
ure,  incomprehensible  curse,  without  daring  to  penetrate 
into  a  question  so  obscure,  and  acknowledging  as  we  do 


134 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


that  the  judgments  of  God  are  as  secret  as  his  works 
are  marvelous,  it  nevertheless  is  evident  that  if  we  once 
admit  in  theory  the  mysterious  relation  that  God  has 
placed  between  the  moral  and  the  physical,  and  also  ad¬ 
mit  it  to  be  actually  and  in  a  certain  degree  visible  in 
man,  even  if  it  is  in  some  measure  inexplicable,  then  all 
the  rest  is  subordinate  in  this  profound  mystery.  For 
the  mystery  lies  in  the  law  of  relation,  rather  than  in 
the  applications  which  may  be  made  of  this  law  by  way 
of  inference. 

It  is  proper  to  mention  here,  in  order  to  throw  light 
upon  this  difficult  subject,  and  as  a  full  proof  of  what 
we  have  stated,  that  physical  things  cannot  be  consid¬ 
ered  as  possessing  an  independent  existence;  that  is, 
as  existing  in  themselves,  by  themselves,  and  for  them¬ 
selves;  but  they  must  rather  be  regarded  as  manifesta¬ 
tions  of  spiritual  things,  which  alone  possess  in  them¬ 
selves  the  reason  of  their  existence.  God,  a  pure 
spirit,  being  the  beginning  and  end  of  all  things,  it 
is  clear  that  all  things,  in  their  beginning  and  end, 
must  be  spiritual.  This  being  the  case,  material 
things  are  either  mere  phantoms,  that  have  no  exist¬ 
ence,  or,  if  they  really  exist,  they  must  have  their  be¬ 
ing  through  God  and  for  God,  which  means  that  they 
exist  through  the  spirit  and  for  the  spirit.  From  which 
we  infer  that  any  perturbation,  whatever  it  may  be,  in 
the  spiritual  world,  must  necessarily  produce  another 
analogous  to  it  in  the  material  world ;  as  we  cannot  con¬ 
ceive  that  things  themselves  should  remain  in  their 
proper  order  and  agreement  when  there  exists  a  per¬ 
turbation  in  the  superior  order  from  which  they  have 
their  beginning  and  their  end. 

The  disorder,  then,  produced  by  sin  was  necessarily 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM.  135 

general,  and  was  felt  both  in  the  spiritual  and  in  the 
material  world.  When  the  face  of  God,  hitherto  serene 
and  placid,  became  clouded  with  wrath,  then  the  sera¬ 
phim  veiled  their  brightness  with  their  wings ;  the  ground 
became  covered  with  thorns  and  brambles;  the  trees  be¬ 
came  withered;  vegetation  lost  its  freshness;  the  har¬ 
vests  were  parched;  the  grateful  waters  of  the  fountains 
became  malignant;  th§  earth  was  covered  with  gloomy, 
impenetrable,  and  frightful  forests,  and  was  intercepted 
with  rugged  mountains;  and  there  was  henceforth  a  tor¬ 
rid  and  a  frigid  zone,  so  that  the  earth  was  consumed 
with  heat  or  chilled  with  frost ;  while  impetuous  whirlwinds 
arose,  covering  the  whole  horizon,  until  throughout  the 
circumference  of  the  world  raged  the  wild  fury  of  the 
hurricane. 

Man  was  placed,  as  it  were,  in  the  center  of  this  uni¬ 
versal  disorder,  which  he  had  caused,  and  which  became 
his  punishment.  More  profoundly  and  radically  affected 
than  any  other  portion  of  creation,  he  remained  exposed, 
without  any  other  aid  than  the  divine  clemency,  to  the 
violence  of  every  physical  and  moral  evil.  Ilis  life  was 
a  constant  temptation  and  contest,  his  wisdom  was  ig¬ 
norance,  his  vpll  was  weakness,  his  flesh  was  corruption. 
Each  of  his  actions  was  attended  with  remorse,  each 
pleasure  was  succeeded  by  sorrow  or  bitter  grief;  his 
cares  equaled  his  desires,  his  hopes  were  dispelled  as 
illusions,  and  his  illusions  were  equaled  by  his  disap¬ 
pointments.  The  past  and  the  future  alike  tormented 
him,  and  even  his  imagination  could  scarcely  invest  his 
nakedness  and  wretchedness  with  some  glittering  orna¬ 
ments  of  gold  and  purple.  Yearning  after  the  good 
for  which  he  was  created,  he  pursued  the  evil  path  upon 
which  he  had  entered;  though  feeling  the  need  of  a 
God,  he  fell  into  the  unfathomable  abyss  of  superstition. 


136 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM. 


He  was  condemned  to  suffer;  and  who  can  recount  the 
extent  of  his  sufferings?  He  was  condemned  to  toil 
unto  weariness ;  and  who  can  enumerate  his  painful 
labors?  He  was  condemned  to  gain  his  bread  by  the 
sweat  of  his  brow;  and  who  can  count  the  dolorous 
drops  wrung  from  his  aching  brow? 

Whatever  the  condition  of  man  may  be,  whether 
placed  in  the  most  elevated  or  the  lowest  situation 
in  life,  he  is  never  exempt  from  the  consequences  en¬ 
tailed  upon  all  by  sin.  The  high  in  rank  are  exposed 
to  envy,  and  the  lowly  may  be  oppressed.  Where  is 
the  man  whose  body  has  not  felt  pain?  Where  is  the 
soul  that  has  not  suffered  anguish?  Who  is  so  high  that 
he  fears  not  to  fall?  Who  believes  so  firmly  in  the 
constancy  of  fortune  that  he  has  no  fear  of  its  reverses? 
All  men  in  birth,  through  life,  and  in  death,  are  equal, 
because  all  are  guilty  and  all  are  punished. 

If  to  be  born,  to  live,  and  to  die  is  not  a  punishment, 
why  are  we  not  born,  why  do  we  not  live  and  die,  in  the 
same  manner  as  other  beings  do?  Why  are  we  so 
afraid  to  die?  Why  is  life  so  full  of  anxiety?  Why 
do  we  come  into  the  world  at  our  birth  in  the  posture 
of  penitents,  with  our  arms  crossed?  Why,  when  we 
first  open  our  eyes  to  the  light,  do  we  weep,  and  why  is 
the  first  sound  we  utter  a  groan? 

The  facts  of  history  confirm  the  dogmas  we  have  just 
announced,  and  all  their  mysterious  agreements.  The 
Saviour  of  the  world,  to  the  edification  and  profound 
awe  of  the  few  just  souls  that  followed  him,  and  to  the 
scandal  of  the  doctors,  blotted  out  sin  in  the  act  of  cur¬ 
ing  the  sick ;  and  when  he  healed  the  sick,  he  absolved 
them  from  their  sins,  sometimes  suppressing  the  cause 
by  the  suppression  of  the  effect,  and  again  suppressing 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


13T 


the  effect  by  removing  the  cause.  A  paralytic  having 
been  placed  before  him,  when  he  was  surrounded  by  the 
doctors  of  the  law  and  the  pharisees,  he  said  to  the 
man:  “Be  of  good  heart,  son,  thy  sins  are  forgiven 
thee.”  They  that  were  present  were  scandalized,  think¬ 
ing  that  the  assumption  of  the  power  of  absolution  was 
only  pride  and  madness  in  the  Nazarene,  and  that  to 
attempt  to  heal  the  sick  by  absolving  them  from  their 
sins,  was  the  height  of  folly.  And  when  the  Lord  saw 
these  guilty  thoughts  arise  in  the  hearts  of  these  people, 
he  added,  “but  that  you  may  know  that  the  Son  of 
man  hath  power  on  earth  to  forgive  sins,  arise,”  said 
he,  “take  up  thy  bed,  and  go  into  thy  house.”  And  it 
was  done  as  he  had  said.  In  this  our  Saviour  shows 
us  that  the  power  to  cure  and  the  power  to  absolve 
are  the  same  power,  and  that  sin  and  sickness  are 
the  same  thing. 

Before  we  proceed  further  it  will  be  well  to  notice 
here,  in  confirmation  of  what  we  have  stated,  two  things 
worthy  to  be  remembered :  first,  that  our  Lord  before  tak¬ 
ing  upon  himself  the  sins  of  the  world,  was  exempt  from 
all  infirmity  and  inconvenience,  because  he  was  exempt 
from  sin ;  and  secondly,  that  when  he  consented  to  bear 
these  sins,  willingly  accepting  the  effects  as  well  as  their 
causes,  and  the  consequences  as  well  as  their  principles, 
he  accepted  sorrow,  viewing  it  an  inseparable  compan¬ 
ion  of  sin ;  and  he  sweat  blood  in  the  garden ;  and  he 
suffered  anguish  in  the  judgment-hall;  and  he  wms  over¬ 
come  by  the  weight  of  the  cross ;  and  he  endured  thirst 
on  Calvary,  and  a  terrible  agony  when  nailed  to  the 
frightful  cross;  and  he  beheld  death  with  terror,  yield¬ 
ing  up  his  spirit  in  deep  grief  and  anguish  to  his  most 
holy  Father. 


13 


138 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


As  to  the  admirable  correspondence  of  which  we  have 
spoken,  between  the  disorders  of  the  moral  and  those  of 
the  physical  world,  mankind  unanimously  proclaim  it 
without  understanding  it,  as  if  compelled  by  an  invinci¬ 
ble  and  supernatural  power  to  give  testimony  to  this 
great  mystery.  The  united  voice  of  tradition,  the  pop¬ 
ular  belief,  all  the  vague  rumors  circulated  by  the  winds, 
and  all  the  echoes  of  the  world,  mysteriously  tell  us  of  a 
great  physical  and  moral  disturbance,  which  took  place 
at  a  period  anterior  to  the  dawn  of  history,  and  even  to 
that  of  fable,  and  as  a  consequence  of  a  primitive  fault, 
which  was  so  great  that  it  could  neither  be  comprehended 
by  the  understanding  nor  expressed  in  words.  And 
even  now,  if  an  elemental  disturbance  arises,  or  strange 
phenomena  occur  in  the  celestial  spheres;  if  great  chas¬ 
tisements  fall  upon  nations  by  wars,  pestilence,  or  famine ; 
if  the  seasons  alter  the  accustomed  course  of  their  har¬ 
monious  revolutions,  and  seem  to  battle  against  each 
other;  if  the  earth  trembles  and  shakes;  if  the  winds, 
freed  from  the  limits  which  restrain  their  impetuosity, 
rush  onward  with  the  devastating  force  of  the  hurri¬ 
cane, — then  the  people,  who  have  preserved  in  their 
inmost  hearts  this  tremendous  tradition,  seek  with  f£ar 
and  trembling  for  the  cause  of  such  unwonted  disturb¬ 
ance,  and  attribute  it  to  some  great  sin,  which  has  drawn 
upon  them  the  divine  wrath,  and  upon  the  earth  the 
malediction  of  heaven. 

It  is  evident  that  these  vague  apprehensions  are  not 
only  unfounded,  but  proceed  from  ignorance  of  the  laws 
that  govern  natural  phenomena  ;  but  it  appears  to  us  no 
less  certain  that  the  error  is  solely  in  the  application 
and  not  in  the  idea;  in  the  result  deduced,  and  not  in 
the  principle;  in  practice  and  not  in  theory.  Tradition 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


189 


remains  as  a  perpetual  testimony  to  truth,  notwithstand¬ 
ing  all  its  false  applications.  The  multitude  may  err, 
and  frequently  do  so  when  they  affirm  that  a  certain  sin 
is  the  cause  of  a  certain  disturbance;  but  they  cannot 
err  when  they  assert  that  disorder  is  caused  by  sin.  It 
is  precisely  because  tradition,  considered  in  its  general¬ 
ity,  is  the  manifestation  and  visible  form  of  an  absolute 
truth,  that  it  becomes  difficult  and  almost  impossible  to 
withdraw  people  from  those  concrete  errors  which  are 
the  result  of  their  practical  applications.  What  there 
is  true  in  tradition  gives  consistency  to  what  is  false  in 
the  application,  so  that  error,  in  the  concrete,  lives  and 
grows  under  the  protection  of  absolute  truth. 

History  is  not  wanting  in  remarkable  examples  which 
help  to  confirm  this  universal  tradition,  transmitted  from 
father  to  son,  from  family  to  family,  from  race  to  race, 
from  nation  to  nation,  from  country  to  country,  even  to 
the  ends  of  the  earth;  because  whenever  crime  has  ex¬ 
ceeded  a  certain  limit,  and  has  filled  a  certain  measure, 
some  terrible  punishments  have  overtaken  nations,  and 
dreadful  convulsions  have  shaken  the  world.  The  first 
perversion  was  that  universal  wickedness  of  which  the 
holy  Scripture  speaks,  when,  in  the  antediluvian  epoch, 
all  men  were  united  in  a  common  apostacy  and  forget¬ 
fulness  of  God,  and  lived  without  any  other  god  or  law 
than  their  criminal  desires  and  frenzied  passions.  Then 
the  measure  of  divine  wrath  was  filled,  and  the  earth  was 
overwhelmed  by  that  fearful  inundation  of  waters  which 
leveled  the  mountains  with  the  valleys,  and  wrapped  all 
the  earth  in  one  common  distress  and  ruin.  Afterward, 
when  time  had  run  his  course  midway,  the  Desired  of  Na¬ 
tions  came,  in  fulfillment  of  ancient  promises  and  proph¬ 
ecies.  The  period  of  his  coming  was  distinguished  by 


140 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM,’ 


the  perversity  and  malice  of  men,  and  by  a  universal 
corruption  of  manners.  Then  there  came  a  day  of 
sad  and  sorrowful  memory,  the  most  dismal  and  dolor¬ 
ous  that  the  world  has  ever  seen  since  the  creation; 
when  an  enraged  and  insensate  people  arose  in  the  mad¬ 
ness  of  their  wrath,  made  their  God  an  object  of  de¬ 
rision,  and  covering  him  with  contumely  and  subjecting 
him  to  every  ignominy,  crucified  him  between  two 
thieves.  Then  the  cup  of  divine  wrath  was  filled  to  over¬ 
flowing,  and  the  sun  withdrew  his  rays,  and  the  veil  of 
the  temple  was  rent  in  twain,  and  the  rocks  were  burst 
asunder,  and  the  entire  earth  was  abandoned  to  terror 
and  dismay. 

Many  other  examples  might  be  adduced  as  evidence 
of  the  mysterious  agreements  between  physical  and 
moral  perturbations,  and  in  confirmation  of  the  univer¬ 
sal  tradition  which  marks  and  proclaims  them;  but  the 
limits  which  we  have  proposed  to  ourselves,  and  the 
grandeur  of  the  examples  we  have  already  given,  alike 
induce  us  to  terminate  the  investigation  of  this  subject. 


CHAPTER  YI. 

Of  the  angelical  and  human  prevarication;  greatness,  and 

enormity  of  sin. 

We  have  now  exposed  the  Catholic  theory  respecting 
evil,  the  child  of  sin;  and  with  regard  to  sin,  the  off¬ 
spring  of  human  liberty,  which  has  a  free  movement 
within  its  limited  sphere,  under  the  eye,  and  with  the 
consent  of  that  sovereign  Lord  who,  disposing  all  things 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


141 


with  weight,  number,  and  measure,  arranged  them  so 
wisely  that  his  providence  would  not  restrict  the  free 
will  of  man,  nor  the  improper  use  of  this  will,  however 
great  and  calamitous  it  might  be,  and  to  the  disregard  of 
his  glory.  Before  proceeding  further,  it  appears  to  me 
becoming  the  dignity  of  the  subject,  to  give  a  connected 
recital  of  that  wonderful  tragedy  which  commenced  in 
heaven  and  ended  in  the  terrestrial  paradise,  without 
noticing  the  difficulties  and  objections,  which  will  be 
answered  elsewhere,  and  which  would  only  serve  to 
obscure  the  severe  and  simple  beauty  of  this  lament¬ 
able  history. 

We  have  seen  in  what  manner  the  Catholic  theory  is 
superior  to  all  others,  in  the  entire  consistency  of  all  its 
solutions ;  and  we  shall  now  see  in  what  wTay  the  facts 
upon  which  it  is  established,  considered  in  themselves, 
are  superior  to  any  of  the  primitive  histories,  however 
imposing  and  dramatic  they  may  be.  We  have,  until 
now,  presented  the  beauty  of  this  theory  by  compari¬ 
sons  and  deductions;  now,  we  shall  examine  its  intrinsic 
and  incomparable  excellence. 

Before  the  creation  of  man,  and  in  ages  too  remote 
for  human  investigations,  God  created  the  angels  blessed 
and  perfect  creatures,  to  whom  it  was  given  to  dwell  in 
the  serene  radiance  of  the  beatific  vision,  bathed  in  an 
ocean  of  unspeakable  delights  and  perpetual  adoration. 
The  angels  were  pure  spirits,  and  their  nature  surpassed 
that  of  man,  who  was  composed  of  an  immortal  soul 
united  to  the  dust  of  the  earth.  In  the  simplicity  of 
his  nature,  the  angel  resembled  God,  while  in  his  rea¬ 
soning  faculties,  his  liberty,  and  his  limited  wisdom,  he 
was  in  affinity  with  man.  So,  man  in  his  spiritual 
nature  was  conformed  to  the  angel,  and  in  his  corporeal 

13* 


142 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


nature  to  physical  things,  which  were  placed  in  subjec¬ 
tion  to  his  will  and  in  obedience  to  his  word.  And  all 
creatures  were  born  with  the  inclination  and  the  power 
to  change  their  condition,  and  to  ascend  in  that  immense 
scale  of  being  which,  commencing  in  the  lowest  exist¬ 
ences,  terminates  in  that  holy  Being,  who  is  above  all, 
and  whose  incommunicable  name  the  heavens  and  the 
earth,  men  and  angels  adore.  Physical  nature  aspired 
in  a  certain  way  to  a  spiritual  condition,  to  a  resem¬ 
blance  with  man;  and  man  sought  a  higher  spiritual¬ 
ity  and  a  nearer  resemblance  to  the  angel ;  and  the 
angel  a  closer  assimilation  to  that  perfect  Being,  who  is 
the  source  of  all  life,  the  creator  of  all  creatures,  whose 
vastness  none  may  measure,  and  whose  immensity  none 
may  comprehend.  All  things  had  come  forth  from  God, 
and  were  to  reascend  to  God,  as  to  their  first  principle 
and  origin ;  and  because  all  things  were  created  by  him 
and  were  to  return  to  him,  so  was  there  nothing  that 
did  not  reflect,  with  more  or  less  brightness,  his  beauty. 

In  this  way  infinite  diversity  was  reduced,  of  itself,  to 
that  vast  unity  which  created  all  things,  and  which  estab¬ 
lished  among  them  such  a  wonderful  harmony  and  con¬ 
nection,  separating  those  which  were  confused  and  unit¬ 
ing  those  which  were  disconnected.  By  this  we  see  that 
the  act  of  creation  was  complex,  and  composed  of  two 
different  acts — that  is,  the  act  by  which  God  created 
what  before  had  no  existence,  and  the  act  by  which  he 
disposed  all  that  he  had  created,  according  to  his  wis¬ 
dom.  By  the  first  of  these  acts  he  revealed  his  power 
to  create  all  substances,  and  by  the  second  he  revealed 
the  power  to  create  every  form  that  embellishes  these 
substances ;  and,  as  there  can  be  no  other  substance 
than  that  created  by  God,  so  there  can  be  no  beauty 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


143 


except  that  which  he  has  given  to  things.  For  this 
reason  the  universe,  which  signifies  everything  created 
by  God,  is  the  combination  of  all  substance ;  and  order, 
which  signifies  the  form  in  which  God  has  modeled  all 
things,  is  the  combination  of  all  beauty.  There  exists 
no  creator  except  God,  there  can  be  no  beauty  except 
in  order,  and  no  creature  except  in  the  universe. 

If  all  beauty  consists  in  the  order  originally  estab¬ 
lished  by  God,  and  if  beauty,  justice,  and  goodness  are 
the  same  thing,  viewed  under  different  aspects,  it  follows 
from  this  that,  outside  of  this  order  established  by  God, 
there  can  be  neither  beauty,  justice,  nor  goodness ;  and 
if  these  three  things  constitute  the  supreme  good,  order, 
which  includes  them  all,  must  necessarily  be  the  supreme 
good. 

As  there  is  no  good  except  in  order,  everything  not 
in  conformity  with  order  must  be  evil ;  nor  can  there 
be  any  evil  wThich  does  not  consist  in  a  subversion  of 
order ;  therefore,  as  order  is  the  supreme  good,  disorder 
is  the  supreme  evil,  because  outside  of  disorder  there 
can  be  no  evil,  and  outside  of  order  no  good.  From 
what  has  been  said,  we  deduce  the  inference  that  order, 
or,  what  is  the  same  thing,  supreme  good,  consists  in  the 
preservation  of  all  things  in  that  connection  in  which 
God  placed  them,  when  he  created  them  out  of  nothing; 
and  that  disorder,  or,  what  is  its  equivalent,  supreme 
evil,  consists  in  breaking  this  admirable  connection  and 
this  sublime  harmony. 

This  connection  could  not  be  broken  nor  this  harmonv 

V 

interrupted  except  by  the  exercise  of  a  will  and  power 
which  were,  to  a  certain  point  and  in  a  possible  manner, 
independent  of  the  will  of  God.  No  creature  was  en¬ 
dowed  to  such  an  extent,  except  angels  and  men,  who 


144 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


were  alone  created  in  the  image  and  likeness  of  their 
maker,  that  is  to  say,  intelligent  and  free;  consequently 
angels  and  men  could  alone  be  the  cause  of  disorder,  or, 
what  is  its  equivalent,  supreme  evil.  Angels  and  men 
could  not  disturb  the  order  of  the  universe  without  re¬ 
belling  against  God ;  therefore,  in  order  to  explain  the 
existence  of  evil  and  disorder,  it  is  necessary  to  suppose 
the  existence  of  rebellious  angels  and  men. 

All  disobedience  and  rebellion  being  what  is  called 
sin,  and  all  sin  being  a  rebellion  and  disobedience,  it 
follows  that  we  can  neither  conceive  of  disorder  in  crea¬ 
tion,  nor  of  evil  in  the  world,  without  supposing  the 
existence  of  sin. 

If  sin  consists  in  disobedience  and  rebellion,  and  if 
these  are  nothing  but  disorder,  and  disorder  nothing  but 
evil,  then  it  follows  that  evil,  disorder,  rebellion,  dis¬ 
obedience,  and  sin  are  absolutely  identical — just  as  good, 
order,  submission,  and  obedience  are  things  presenting 
a  perfect  resemblance.  Whence  we  conclude  that  sub¬ 
mission  to  the  divine  will  is  the  supreme  good,  and  sin 
the  supreme  evil. 

When  all  the  angels  were  obedient  to  the  voice  of 
their  Creator,  viewing  themselves  in  his  divine  coun¬ 
tenance,  rejoicing  in  his  splendors,  and  moving  with 
freedom  and  concerted  harmony  at  his  word,  it  came  to 
pass  that  the  most  glorious  among  them  forgot  God  in 
the  contemplation  of  himself,  and  remained  enraptured 
in  self-adoration,  and  ecstatic  at  beholding  his  own 
beauty.  Regarding  himself  as  self-subsistent,  and  as 
his  own  ultimate  end,  he  violated  that  universal  and 
sacred  law,  according  to  which  all  diversity  must  have 
its  beginning  and  its  end  in  unity,  which,  embracing  all 
without  being  embraced  in  anything,  is  the  universal 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


145 


container  of  all  created  things,  as  the  creator  is  of  all 
creatures. 

The  rebellion  of  the  angel  was  the  first  disorder,  the 
first  evil,  and  the  first  sin.  It  was  the  origin  of  all  sin, 
of  all  the  evil  and  all  the  disorder  which  was  to  fall 
upon  creation,  and  especially  upon  the  human  race, 
through  subsequent  ages ;  for,  when  the  fallen  angel, 
who  was  now  deprived  of  light  and  beauty,  saw  the  man 
and  woman  in  paradise,  so  pure,  so  lustrous,  and  so 
beautiful  with  the  splendors  of  grace,  he  felt  the  deepest 
dejection  at  the  sight  of  an  excellence  which  he  had  lost, 
and  instantly  formed  the  design  of  involving  them  in  his 
condemnation,  since  he  could  not  equal  them  in  glory. 
Assuming  the  form  of  a  serpent,  which  was  to  be  for¬ 
ever  the  symbol  of  deceit  and  cunning,  the  horror  of  the 
human  race,  and  an  object  of  divine  wrath,  he  entered 
the  terrestrial  paradise,  and,  gliding  through  its  tender 
and  fragrant  herbage,  entangled  the  woman  in  that  most 
subtle  snare,  by  which  she  lost  her  innocence,  and  with 
it  her  happiness. 

Nothing  can  equal  the  sublime  simplicity  of  the  Mo- 
saical  narration  of  this  tragedy,  of  which  the  terrestrial 
paradise  was  the  theater,  God  the  spectator,  and  the  act¬ 
ors,  on  the  one  side  the  king  and  sovereign  of  the  abyss, 
and  on  the  other  the  kings  and  sovereigns  of  the  earth; 
of  which  mankind  was  to  be  the  victim,  while  the  sad  and 
sorrowful  catastrophe  was  to  be  lamented  with  everlast¬ 
ing  sorrowing,  by  the  earth  in  its  motion,  by  the  heav¬ 
enly  bodies  in  their  revolutions,  by  the  angels  on  their 
thrones,  and  by  us,  unhappy  children  of  those  unfortu¬ 
nate  parents,  in  the  darksome  valley  of  our  pilgrimage. 

The  serpent  commenced  his  discourse  thus:  “Why 
hath  God  commanded  you  that  you  should  not  eat  of 


146 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


every  tree  of  paradise?”  And  immediately  the  woman 
felt  her  heart  inspired  with  that  vain  curiosity  which 
was  the  primal  cause  of  her  guilt.  From  that  moment, 
her  understanding  and  her  will  were  enfeebled  by  the 
sweet  temptation,  and  began  to  depart  from  the  will  of 
God  and  the  divine  mind. 

And  the  serpent  said  to  the  woman:  “In  what  day 
soever  you  shall  eat  thereof,  your  eyes  shall  be  opened, 
and  you  shall  be  as  gods,  knowing  good  and  evil.” 
Under  the  disastrous  influence  of  this  promise,  the 
woman  felt  in  her  heart  the  first  sensations  of  pride, 
and  regarding  herself  with  complacency,  the  face  of 
God  was  at  that  moment  withdrawn  from  her  sight. 
Proud  and  vain,  she  cast  her  eyes  upon  the  tree  of 
infernal  illusions  and  divine  vengeance ;  she  saw  that  it 
was  beautiful,  and  inferred  that  its  fruit  must  be  pleas¬ 
ant  to  the  taste,  and  felt  enkindled  in  her  senses  the 
fire,  till  then  unknown,  of  corrosive  delights.  Thus  the 
curiosity  of  the  eyes,  and  gratification  of  the  flesh,  and 
pride  of  the  spirit  combined,  deprived  the  first  woman  of 
her  innocence,  and  afterward  corrupted  the  first  man. 
Then  the  many  treasured  hopes  for  his  posterity  van¬ 
ished,  as  smoke  is  dissipated  in  the  ambient  air. 

And  then  the  entire  universe  was  disturbed,  and  dis¬ 
order,  having  commenced  at  the  highest  point  of  the 
scale  of  created  beings,  was  communicated  from  one  to 
the  other,  until  everything  was  wrested  from  the  course 
and  place  assigned  to  it  by  the  sovereign  Creator.  The 
innate  attraction  of  every  creature  to  ascend  and  re¬ 
mount  even  to  the  throne  of  God,  was  changed  into  an 
aspiration  to  descend  into  some  nameless  abyss ;  for, 
to  turn  away  from  God  was,  as  it  were,  seeking  for 
death  and  striving  to  get  rid  of  life. 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


147 


However  deep  man  may  descend  into  the  fathomless 
abyss  of  wisdom,  however  high  he  may  mount  in  the 
investigation  of  the  most  hidden  mysteries,  yet  he  can 
never  ascend  so  high  nor  descend  so  low,  as  to  be  able 
to  comprehend  the  vast  ravages  inflicted  by  this  first 
crime,  and  out  of  which  all  other  calamities  have  arisen, 
as  from  a  most  prolific  source. 

No;  never  can  man,  never  can  the  sinner,  conceive 
the  magnitude  and  the  deformity  of  sin.  In  order  to 
understand  how  great,  how  terrible,  and  how  devastating 
are  its  effects,  we  must  examine  it  under  the  divine  point 
of  view,  and  not  as  measured  by  human  standards.  As 
in  the  deity  we  find  the  supreme  good,  and  in  sin  the 
supreme  evil,  the  deity  being  order  and  sin  disorder,  the 
deity  a  complete  affirmation  and  sin  an  absolute  nega¬ 
tion,  the  deity  being  plenitude  of  existence  and  sin  its 
absolute  decline,  there  exists  between  God  and  sin,  as 
between  affirmation  and  negation,  order  and  disorder, 
good  and  evil,  existence  and  non-existence,  an  incom¬ 
mensurable  distance,  an  invincible  contradiction,  and  an 
infinite  repugnance. 

No  calamity,  however  overwhelming,  can  disturb  the 
ineffable  repose  of  the  Divinity.  When  the  universal 
deluge  overspread  the  earth,  God  beheld  the  tremendous 
inundation,  considered  in  itself  and  separated  from  its 
cause,  with  a  serene  countenance;  because  the  angels, 
obedient  to  his  command,  had  opened  the  floodgates  of 
heaven ;  and  the  waters,  obedient  to  his  voice,  covered 
the  mountains  and  encompassed  the  earth ;  the  clouds 
gathered  from  every  corner  of  the  obscured  horizon,  and 
united  hung  as  a  black  pall  over  the  earth;  yet  the  face 
of  God  remained  serene,  because  it  was  his  will  that 
darkness  should  cover  the  earth;  for  he  called  the 


148 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


clouds,  and  they  came;  he  commanded  them  to  unite, 
and  they  did  so.  It  is  he  who  sends  the  hurricane  to 
desolate  a  guilty  city,  and  he  who,  in  the  fulfillment  of 
his  designs,  arrests  the  waters,  restrains  the  thunder¬ 
bolt  within  the  cloud,  or  hurls  it  flashing  through  the 
air.  His  eyes  have  witnessed  the  rise  and  fall  of  every 
empire ;  his  ears  have  heard  the  prayers  of  nations, 
laid  waste  by  the  sword  of  the  conqueror,  by  pestilence, 
slavery,  and  famine;  and  he  has  remained  tranquil  and 
impassive,  because  it  is  he  who  holds,  as  mere  puppets 
in  his  hand,  the  empires  of  the  world;  it  is  he  who 
puts  the  sword  in  the  hand  of  the  conqueror ;  it  is  he 
who  sends  tyrants  to  rule  over  guilty  nations ;  it  is  he 
who  punishes  unbelieving  peoples  with  famine  and  pesti¬ 
lence,  when  his  sovereign  justice  demands  it. 

There  is  a  frightful  place,  the  abode  of  horror,  fear, 
and  suffering,  where  there  is  insatiable  thirst  and  per¬ 
petual  hunger  without  relief;  where  no  light  ever  glad¬ 
dens  the  eyes,  nor  peaceful  sounds  reach  the  ear;  where 
all  is  agitation  without  repose,  weeping  without  inter¬ 
mission,  and  grief  without  consolation.  There,  all  may 
enter,  but  none  may  depart.  There,  hope  dies,  but 
memory  is  immortal.  The  limits  of  this  place  are 
known  to  God  alone,  and  these  torments  are  uninter¬ 
rupted  and  endless  in  duration ;  yet  this  cursed  abode, 
with  its  inexpressible  agonies,  does  not  disturb  the  tran¬ 
quillity  of  God,  because  his  omnipotence  has  so  ordained 
it.  God  made  hell  for  the  reprobate,  just  as  he  made 
the  earth  for  men  and  heaven  for  angels  and  saints. 
Hell  declares  his  justice,  as  the  earth  proclaims  his 
goodness  and  the  heavens  his  mercy.  Wars,  inunda¬ 
tions,  plagues,  conquests,  famine,  hell  itself,  are  some¬ 
thing  good,  because  they  are  all  ordained  with  regard 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


149 


to  the  ultimate  end  of  creation,  and  they  all  serve  as 
useful  instruments  of  the  divine  justice ;  and  because 
they  are  all  useful,  and  have  been  made  by  the  author 
of  all  good,  none  of  them  can  alter  the  ineffable  repose 
of  the  creator  of  all  things.  Nothing  is  hateful  to  God 
but  that  which  he  has  not  made ;  and  as  he  has  created 
all  that  exists,  nothing  displeases  him  but  the  negation 
of  what  he  has  created.  For  this  reason  is  it  that  dis¬ 
order,  which  is  the  negation  of  the  order  which  he  estab¬ 
lished,  and  disobedience,  which  is  the  denial  of  the  obe¬ 
dience  due  to  him,  are  hateful  in  his  sight.  This  dis¬ 
obedience,  this  disorder,  are  the  supreme  evil,  inasmuch 
as  they  are  the  negation  of  the  supreme  good,  the 
supreme  evil  consisting  in  this  negation.  But  disobe¬ 
dience  and  disorder  are  nothing  else  than  sin ;  from 
which  it  follows  that  sin,  being  an  absolute  negation  on 
the  part  of  man,  of  the  supreme  affirmation  on  the  part 
of  God,  is  therefore  the  supreme  evil,  which  alone  strikes 
God  and  his  angels  with  horror. 

Sin  filled  heaven  with  mourning,  hell  with  lamenta¬ 
tions,  and  the  earth  with  calamities.  It  was  sin  which 
brought  sickness,  pestilence,  famine,  and  death  into  the 
wrorld.  It  was  sin  which  caused  the  destruction  of  the 
most  renowned  and  populous  cities.  It  caused  the  down¬ 
fall  of  Babylon  and  her  splendid  gardens,  of  Nineveh 
the  proud,  of  Persepolis  the  daughter  of  the  sun,  of 
Memphis  the  seat  of  the  most  profound  mysteries,  of 
Sodom  the  impure,  of  Athens  the  witty,  of  Jerusalem 
the  unfaithful,  and  of  Borne  the  magnificent ;  for,  if 
God  ordained  the  destruction  of  all  these  cities,  he  only 
did  so  as  a  punishment  and  a  remedy  for  sin.  Sin  has 
caused  all  the  sighs  that  have  agitated  human  breasts, 
and  all  the  tears  that  have  fallen,  drop  by  drop,  from 

14 


150 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


the  eyes  of  men,  and,  what  is  much  more  than  all,  and 
beyond  imagination  to  conceive  or  words  to  express,  it 
has  caused  tears  to  flow  from  the  most  sacred  eyes  of 
the  Son  of  God,  the  meek  Lamb  who  suffered  on  the 
cross  for  the  sins  of  the  world.  Neither  men,  nor  the 
earth,  nor  the  heavens  ever  saw  him  laugh ;  but  men, 
the  earth,  and  the  heavens  saw  him  weep.  And  he 
wept  at  the  contemplation  of  sin.  He  wept  over  the 
grave  of  Lazarus,  but  he  only  bewailed,  in  the  death  of 
his  friend,  the  loss  of  the  soul  through  sin.  He  wept 
over  Jerusalem,  but  he  wept  for  the  abominable  sins  of 
a  people  who  could  commit  a  deicide.  He  was  sad  and 
agitated  in  the  garden,  but  it  was  horror  of  sin  which 
there  filled  his  soul  with  anguish,  so  that  his  brow  sweat 
blood  at  the  dreadful  spectacle.  He  was  crucified,  but 
it  was  sin  which  nailed  him  to  the  cross,  and  caused  him 
to  expire  there  in  bitter  agony. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


How  God  causes  good  to  result  from  the  angelical  and  human 

prevarication. 


The  most  fearful  of  all  mysteries  is  that  of  free  will, 
which  constitutes  man  his  own  master,  and  associates 
him  with  the  Divinity  in  the  direction  and  government 
of  human  affairs. 

As  the  partial  liberty  given  to  the  creature  consists 
in  the  supreme  faculty  of  choosing  between  obedience 
to  or  rebellion  against  God,  so  the  granting  of  this  lib- 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM.  151 

erty  amounts  to  the  same  thing  as  bestowing  the  right 
to  alter  the  immaculate  beauty  of  creation.  And  as 
this  spotless  beauty  consists  in  the  order  and  harmony 
of  the  universe,  so  to  confer  the  faculty  of  disturbing 
this  order  is  the  same  thing  as  to  grant  the  power  to 
substitute  disorder  for  order,  perturbation  for  harmony, 
and  evil  for  good. 

This  right,  even  restrained  by  the  limits  we  have  indi¬ 
cated,  is  so  exorbitant,  and  this  faculty  is  so  monstrous, 
that  God  wrould  never  have  consented  to  its  exercise, 
had  he  not  been  certain  of  making  it  an  instrument  for 
the  accomplishment  of  his  designs,  and  of  controlling 
the  disasters  it  produces  by  his  infinite  power. 

The  principal  reason  why  man  should  be  permitted  to 
convert  order  into  disorder,  harmony  into  perturbation, 
and  good  into  evil,  is  found  in  the  power  of  God  to 
change  disorder  into  order,  perturbation  into  harmony, 
and  evil  into  good.  If  we  do  not  admit  this  sovereign 
power  in  God,  it  would  be  logically  necessary  to  deprive 
the  creature  of  the  faculty  of  liberty,  or  to  deny  the 
divine  intelligence  and  omnipotence. 

If  God  permits  sin,  which  is  the  sovereign  evil  and 
disorder,  it  is  because  sin,  far  from  restraining  the  exer¬ 
cise  of  his  justice  and  mercy,  serves  to  exhibit  new  man¬ 
ifestations  of  those  attributes.  If  the  rebellious  sinner 
had  not  existed,  the  divine  justice  and  mercy  would  not 
thereby  have  been  suppressed;  but  only  one  of  their 
especial  manifestations  would  no  longer  exist  —  that 
which  is  peculiarly  applied  to  rebellious  sinners. 

As  the  supreme  good  of  intelligent  and  free  beings 
consists  in  their  union  with  God,  so  God  has,  in  his  in¬ 
finite  goodness,  and  by  a  free  act  of  his  ineffable  mercy, 
determined  that  they  should  be  united  to  him  not  only 


152 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


by  natural,  but  also  by  supernatural  ties.  And  as  on 
the  one  side  the  divine  will  might  fail  to  be  accomplished 
through  the  voluntary  refusal  of  intelligent  and  free 
beings,  and  on  the  other  the  liberty  of  the  creature  was 
essential  to  this  voluntary  choice,  so  the  great  problem 
rests  in  conciliating  these  things,  which  are  to  a  certain 
point  contradictory,  in  such  a  way  that  neither  the  lib¬ 
erty  of  the  creature  be  destroyed,  nor  the  will  of  God 
fail  to  be  accomplished.  The  possibility  of  a  separa¬ 
tion  from  God  being  necessary,  as  an  evidence  of  angel¬ 
ical  and  human  freedom,  and  a  union  with  God  likewise 
essential  as  an  evidence  of  the  efficacy  of  the  divine  will, 
the  difficulty  consists  in  proving  how  the  liberty  of  the 
creature  and  the  will  of  God,  the  separation  which  the 
creature  chooses,  and  the  union  which  God  desires,  can 
be  made  compatible  with  each  other,  so  that  the  creat¬ 
ure  neither  ceases  to  be  free  nor  God  to  be  sovereign. 

To  show  this  it  is  requisite  that  the  withdrawal  from 
God  should  be  in  a  certain  respect  real,  and  in  another 
only  apparent;  that  is  to  say,  that  the  creature  may  be 
able  to  withdraw  himself  from  God,  but  in  such  a  way 
that  this  separation  unite  him  to  God  in  a  different  man¬ 
ner.  Intelligent  and  free  beings  were  born  united  to 
God  by  an  effect  of  his  grace.  By  sin  they  really  sep¬ 
arate  themselves  from  God,  because  they  really  and 
truly  break  the  bond  of  his  grace,  which  unites  them  to 
him;  and  they  thereby  give  testimony  to  his  having 
made  them  intelligent  and  free  beings.  But  this  sepa¬ 
ration  is,  if  we  attentively  regard  it,  only  a  new  kind 
of  union;  since,  in  withdrawing  from  God  by  the  free 
renunciation  of  his  grace,  they  are  drawn  back  to  him 
by  falling  into  the  hands  of  his  justice,  or  by  becoming 
the  objects  of  his  mercy.  In  this  way  the  separation 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


158 


from,  and  union  with  God,  which  at  first  sight  would 
seem  to  he  incompatible,  are  in  reality  in  all  respects 
reconcilable;  so  much  so  that  all  separation  resolves  it¬ 
self  into  a  special  mode  of  union,  and  all  union  into  a 
special  mode  of  separation.  The  creature  is  not  united 
to  God  through  grace,  but  because  he  has  been  separated 
from  Him  as  regards  His  justice  and  mercy.  The  creat¬ 
ure  that  falls  into  the  hands  of  His  justice  only  does  so 
because  he  has  withdrawn  himself  from  His  grace  and 
mercy;  and  in  the  same  way,  if  he  is  the  object  of  God’s 
mercy,  he  is  so  only  inasmuch  as  he  has  separated  him¬ 
self  from  Him  as  regards  grace,  at  the  same  time  being 
separated  from  Him  as  regards  His  justice.  The  liberty 
of  the  creature  consists,  then,  in  the  faculty  of  desig¬ 
nating  the  kind  of  union  that  he  prefers  by  the  manner 
of  separation  that  he  chooses ;  as  also  the  sovereignty 
of  God  consists  in  this,  that  whatever  manner  of  sepa¬ 
ration  the  creature  may  adopt,  he  effects  a  union  with 
the  latter  by  every  mode  of  separation  and  by  every 
way.  Creation  resembles  a  circle.  God  is,  in  a  certain 
point  of  view,  its  circumference,  and  in  another  its  cen¬ 
ter;  as  the  center  he  attracts,  as  the  circumference  he 
includes  all.  Nothing  can  exist  beyond  this  circle  that 
contains  all,  and  everything  obeys  this  irresistible  at¬ 
traction.  The  liberty  of  intelligent  and  free  beings 
consists  in  their  being  able  to  fly  from  the  circumfer¬ 
ence,  which  is  God,  and  going  to  God,  who  is  the  cen¬ 
ter  ;  and  in  flying  from  the  center,  which  is  God,  to  give 
themselves  to  God,  who  is  the  circumference.  Nothing 
is  more  capable  of  expansion  than  the  circumference, 
and  nothing  more  contracting  of  itself  than  the  center. 
What  angel  has  the  power,  what  man  dare  attempt,  to 
break  through  this  great  circle  that  God  has  traced  ? 

14* 


154 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


What  creature  is  so  presumptuous  as  to  defy  those  math¬ 
ematically  inflexible  laws  which  have  been  eternally  es¬ 
tablished  by  the  divine  mind?  What  can  be  the  center 
of  that  inexorable  circle  but  those  things  which  are  in¬ 
finitely  united  in  God?  What  can  be  the  circumference 
of  this  circle  but  those  same  things  which  have  in  God 
an  infinite  expansion?  And  what  expansion  can  be 
greater  than  this  infinite  expansion?  What  contraction 
surpasses  this  infinite  contraction  ?  For  this  reason  St. 
Augustin,  the  greatest  of  geniuses  and  the  most  illus¬ 
trious  of  doctors,  who  was  the  embodiment  of  the  spirit 
of  the  Church,  is  amazed,  and,  as  it  were,  transported 
at  beholding  all  things  in  God  and  God  in  all  things, 
and  man  seeking  to  fly,  he  knows  not  how,  at  one  time 
from  the  center  that  attracts  him,  and  then  from  the 
circumference  that  encircles  him.  This  great  saint,  lost 
in  love  and  inundated  by  the  fortifying  waters  of  grace, 
beats  his  breast,  and  in  anguish  exclaims :  Poor  mortal , 
thou  seeJcest  to  fly  from  Grod :  throw  thyself  into  his 
arms.  Never  have  human  lips  uttered  words  so  lovingly 
sublime,  and  of  such  sublime  tenderness.  God  then 
points  out  the  end  of  all  things,  but  the  creature  chooses 
the  way.  .  In  designating  the  term  where  all  ways  meet, 
God  is  the  omnipotent  sovereign;  and  in  choosing  the 
way  which  will  bring  him  to  the  term,  the  creature  is 
intelligently  free. 

Nor  can  it  be  said  that  the  liberty  which  consists  only 
in  a  choice  among  many  paths  by  which  to  reach  a  neces¬ 
sary  end,  is  a  trivial  affair.  We  cannot  consider  that 
freedom  of  little  consequence  which  consists  in  the 
choice  of  salvation  or  perdition;  inasmuch  as  the  vari¬ 
ous  ways  of  approaching  God  (who  is  the  necessary 
limit  of  all  things)  are  finally  reduced  to  two — heaven 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


155 


and  hell.  If  the  faculty  that  God  has  bestowed  upon 
the  creature  of  choosing  the  manner  of  approaching 
him,  does  not  confer  sufficient  liberty,  what  extent  of 
liberty  would  ever  satisfy  the  desire  of  man  ? 

If  we  do  not  accept  this  explication,  there  is  no  pos¬ 
sible  conciliation  between  things  which  we  can  imagine 
reconcilable  only  in  an  absolute  way.  But  this  explana¬ 
tion  renders  intelligible  the  secret  causes  of  the  most 
profound  mysteries  and  of  the  most  elevated  designs. 
It  enables  us  to  comprehend  the  reason  of  the  angelical 
and  human  prevarication,  these  two  great  evidences  of 
the  liberty  permitted  to  men  and  angels.  If  God  per¬ 
mitted  the  angelical  prevarication,  it  was  because  he 
knew  the  secret  mode  of  reconciling  the  angelical  disor¬ 
der  with  the  divine  order,  even  as  the  angels  knew  how 
to  convert  order  into  disorder.  The  angel  changed 
order  into  disorder  by  transforming  union  into  separa¬ 
tion.  God  changed  disorder  into  order,  transforming  a 
momentary  separation  into  an  indissoluble  union.  The 
angel  would  not  be  united  to  God  by  way  of  recompense, 
and  he  was  eternally  united  to  him  by  the  way  of  pun¬ 
ishment.  He  refused  to  listen  to  the  gentle  entreaties 
of  grace,  and  he  was  forced  to  hear  the  stern  sentence 
of  justice.  He  sought  an  absolute  separation  from  God, 
but  the  instant  he  did  so  he  was  united  to  him  in  a  dif¬ 
ferent  manner.  He  became  separated  from  a  gracious 
God,  and  was  united  to  a  just  God.  He  withdrew  from 
God  in  heaven,  and  was  united  to  him  in  hell.  The 
order  in  which  things  are  established  does  not  consist 
in  their  being  united  to  God  in  a  certain  manner,  but 
simply  in  their  being  united  to  God ;  as  disorder  does 
not  consist  in  their  separation  from  God  in  a  certain 
way,  and  in  their  being  united  to  God  in  a  different 


156  ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 

way,  but  in  an  absolute  separation  from  God.  There¬ 
fore,  true  order  always  exists,  and  true  disorder  has  no 
existence.  Sin  is  so  radical  and  absolute  a  negation 
that  it  not  only  denies  order  but  also  disorder ;  for, 
after  having  denied  all  affirmations,  it  denies  its  own 
negations,  and  even  denies  itself.  Sin  is  the  negation 
of  negations,  the  shadow  of  a  shadow,  the  appearance 
of  an  appearance. 

If  God  permitted  the  prevarication  of  man,  which 
was,  as  we  have  said,  less  radical  and  culpable  than  the 
angelical  prevarication,  it  was  because  God  knew,  from 
all  eternity,  the  perfect  way  of  reconciling  the  divine 
order  with  the  disorder  created  by  man,  even  as  man 
knew  how  to  draw  disorder  out  of  order.  Man  changed 
order  into  disorder  by  separating  that  which  God  had 
united  in  a  bond  of  love.  God  brought  order  out  of 
disorder,  reuniting  what  man  had  separated  in  bonds 
still  more  close  and  endearing.  Man  having  rejected 
a  union  with  God  by  the  ties  of  original  justice  and 
sanctifying  grace,  found  himself  united  to  him  through 
his  infinite  mercy.  If  God  permitted  man’s  prevari¬ 
cation,  it  was  because  he  held,  as  in  reserve,  the  Sav¬ 
iour  of  mankind,  who  was  to  come  in  the  fullness  of 
time.  That  sovereign  evil  was  necessary  to  procure 
this  supreme  good;  and  for  the  reception  of  so  great  a 
blessing,  that  great  catastrophe  was  requisite.  Man 
sinned  because  God  had  resolved  to  become  man,  and 
because,  having  become  man  without  ceasing  to  be  God, 
his  blood  had  a  supreme  virtue  sufficient  to  wash  away 
sin.  Man  vacillated  because  God  had  power  to  sustain 
the  vacillating;  he  fell  because  God  had  power  to  raise 
him  up  again ;  he  wept  because  he  who  had  power  to 
dry  the  earth  when  it  was  overflowed  by  the  waves  of 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


157 


the  deluge,  could  likewise  dry  the  sad  valley  filled  with 
our  tears.  Man  endured  bodily  anguish  because  God 
could  free  him  from  pain;  he  suffered  great  misfortunes 
because  God  had  still  greater  rewards  in  store  for  him. 
He  went  forth  from  Eden,  endured  death,  and  was  laid 
in  the  tomb,  because  God  had  power  to  vanquish  death, 
to  deliver  him  from  the  grave,  and  to  raise  him  to 
heaven. 

Thus  as  the  angelical  and  human  prevarications  enter 
into  the  elements  of  universal  order,  in  consequence  of 
an  admirable  divine  action,  in  the  same  manner  the  lib¬ 
erty  of  the  angel  and  the  liberty  of  man,  which  caused 
their  fall,  are  necessary  elements  of  that  supreme  and 
universal  law  to  which  all  things  are  subject — all  crea¬ 
tions,  all  worlds,  moral,  material,  and  divine.  Accord¬ 
ing  to  this  law  absolute  unity,  in  its  infinite  fecundity, 
perpetually  produces  diversity,  which  as  perpetually  re¬ 
turns  to  its  prolific  source,  the  bosom  of  God,  which  is 
absolute  unity. 

Considered  as  the  Father,  God  draws  from  himself 
eternally  the  Son  by  way  of  generation,  and  the  Holy 
Ghost  by  way  of  procession,  and  thus  the  Father,  the 
Son,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  eternally  constitute  the  divine 
diversity.  The  Son  and  the  Holy  Spirit  are  eternally 
identical  with  the  Father,  and  eternally  constitute  with 
him  an  indestructible  unity. 

Considered  as  creator,  God  brought  things  out  of 
nothing  by  an  act  of  his  will,  and  established  in  this 
way  a  physical  diversity.  He  afterward  subjected  all 
things  to  certain  eternal  laws  and  to  an  immutable  order, 
and  in  this  way  diversity  in  the  physical  world  was  only 
the  exterior  manifestation  of  absolute  unity. 

Considered  as  Lord  and  legislator,  God  conferred 


158 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


upon  man  and  the  angels  a  liberty  different  from  his 
own  liberty,  and  in  this  manner  constituted  diversity  in 
the  moral  world.  He  afterward  subjected  this  liberty 
to  certain  inviolable  laws  and  a  necessary  limit;  and  the 
necessity  of  this  limit  and  the  inviolability  of  these 
laws  caused  the  angelical  and  human  liberty  to  enter 
into  the  vast  unity  of  his  marvelous  designs. 

The  divine  will,  which  is  absolute  unity,  is  shown  in 
the  precept  given  to  Adam  in  paradise,  when  God  said 
to  him,  “ Thou  shalt  not  eat”  Human  liberty,  with 
the  imperfection  annexed  to  it,  the  power  of  choosing, 
which  is  diversity,  is  set  forth  in  the  condition,  u  and  if 
thou  shalt  eat”  Finally,  we  behold  diversity  return  to 
the  unity  from  which  it  proceeds:  first  in  the  menace 
made  by  God  to  man  when  he  says,  ut,hou  shalt  die  the 
death;”  and  then  in  the  promise  made  to  our  first  pa¬ 
rents,  when  God  announces  to  the  woman  that  she 
should  give  birth  to  One  who  would  crush  the  serpent’s 
head.  By  means  of  this  promise  and  threat  God  pro¬ 
claims  the  two  ways  by  which  diversity,  which  proceeds 
from  unity,  returns  to  this  unity — the  way  of  his  jus¬ 
tice  and  that  of  his  mercy. 

If  the  prohibition  enjoined  upon  man  is  suppressed, 
the  exterior  manifestation  of  absolute  unity  is  de¬ 
stroyed. 

If  the  condition  annexed  to  the  prohibition  is  sup¬ 
pressed,  the  exterior  manifestation  of  diversity,  which 
is  human  liberty,  is  destroyed. 

If  both  the  menace  and  the  promise  are  suppressed, 
you  destroy  the  ways  by  which  diversity,  in  order  not  to 
be  subversive,  returns  to  the  unity  from  whence  it  pro¬ 
ceeds. 

As  union  between  the  physical  creation  and  the  Cre- 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM.  159 

ator  consists  in  the  eternal  subjection  of  this  creation 
to  fixed  and  immutable  laws,  which  are  the  perpetual 
manifestation  of  his  sovereign  will,  so  there  is  no  union 
between  God  and  man  except  that  man,  who  is  separated 
from  God  by  sin,  returns  to  him,  either  as  impenitent 
to  experience  his  justice,  or  as  purified  to  enjoy  his 
mercy. 

If,  after  having  attentively  and  separately  considered 
the  angelical  and  human  prevarications,  and  found  them 
to  be  each  a  perturbation  by  accident,  but  in  essence  a 
harmony,  we  consider  both  prevarications  at  the  same 
time,  we  shall  behold  with  admiration  the  manner  in 
which  their  harsh  dissonances  are  changed  into  marvel¬ 
ous  accords  by  the  irresistible  power  of  the  divine  Thau- 
maturgus. 

We  must  here  observe,  before  proceeding  further, 
that  all  the  beauty  of  creation  consists  in  the  fact  that 
each  thing  is,  in  itself,  as  a  reflection  of  some  one  of  the 
divine  perfections;  so  that  all  united  present  a  faithful 
likeness  of  his  sovereign  beauty.  From  the  splendid 
orb  which  illumines  space  to  the  humble  lily  that  lies 
unnoted  in  the  valley,  and  from  the  most  obscure  depths 
of  the  valleys  that  are  adorned  with  lilies  to  the  height 
of  the  heavens,  resplendent  with  worlds,  all  creatures, 
each  in  its  own  manner,  recount,  one  to  the  other,  the 
wonders  of  the  Lord,  and  they  altogether  attest  his  in¬ 
effable  perfections,  and  sing  in  an  endless  canticle  his 
excellence  and  glory.  The  heavens  show  forth  his  om¬ 
nipotence,  the  seas  his  grandeur,  the  earth  his  fecun¬ 
dity,  and  the  stupendous  masses  of  clouds  figure  to  us 
the  footstool  of  his  throne.  The  lightning  is  his  will, 
the  thunder-bolt  his  voice.  He  broods  in  sublime  silence 
over  the  abyss,  and  the  impetuous  hurricane  and  tern- 


160 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


pestuous  whirlwind  declare  the  terrors  of  his  wrath. 

’  Tis  he  that  has  adorned  us,  proclaim  the  flowers  of 
the  field ;  and  the  heavens  declare,  ’tis  he  that  has  given 
us  our  brilliant  expanse;  the  stars  cry  out,  we  are  as 
jewels  fallen  from  his  splendid  vestment ;  and  men  and 
angels  bear  witness  that,  in  passing  before  them,  he  left 
engraven  upon  them  his  most  beauteous,  glorious,  and 
perfect  image.  In  this  way  certain  things  in  creation 
represented  the  grandeur  of  God,  others  his  majesty, 
others  again  his  omnipotence,  and,  above  all,  men  and 
angels  represented  the  treasures  of  his  goodness,  the 
marvels  of  his  grace,  and  the  splendor  of  his  beauty. 
But  God  is  not  only  perfect  and  wonderful  in  beauty, 
grace,  goodness,  and  omnipotence;  he  is  moreover, 
and  above  all  these  things,  if  his  perfections  could  be 
measured,  infinitely  just  and  infinitely  merciful.  It 
follows  from  this  that  the  supreme  act  of  creation  could 
not  be  considered  as  consummated  and  perfected,  until 
after  having  realized,  in  all  their  various  manifestations, 
his  infinite  justice  and  infinite  mercy.  And  as  God 
could  not  exercise  that  special  mercy  and  justice  which 
are  applied  to  the  guilty  without  the  prevarication  of 
intelligent  and  free  beings,  it  follows  that  this  prevari¬ 
cation  itself  was  the  occasion  of  the  grandest  of  all  har¬ 
monies  and  the  most  beautiful  of  all  consonances. 

After  the  prevarication  of  intelligent  and  free  beings, 
God  shone  in  the  midst  of  creation  with  a  new  and 
greater  splendor.  The  universe  in  general  was  the 
perfect  reflection  of  his  omnipotence ;  the  terrestrial 
paradise  especially  exhibited  his  grace,  the  heavens  his 
mercy;  hell  alone  reflected  his  justice;  while  the  earth, 
placed  between  these  two  poles  of  creation,  mirrored  at 
the  same  time  his  justice  and  mercy.  When,  through 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM.  161 

the  angelical  and  human  prevarication,  all  the  perfec¬ 
tions  of  God  found  an  exterior  manifestation,  except 
that  perfection  which  was  to  be  manifested  on  Calvary, 
then  order  was  restored. 

The  deeper  we  investigate  these  fearful  dogmas,  the 
more  conspicuous  we  find  the  supreme  agreement,  the 
perfect  connection,  and  the  marvelous  consonance  exist¬ 
ing  between  all  the  Christian  mysteries.  The  science  of 
mysteries,  if  we  carefully  reflect  upon  it,  is  simply  the 
science  by  which  all  things  are  solved. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


Solutions  of  the  liberal  school  relative  to  these  problems. 


Before  concluding  this  book,  we  shall  examine  the 
opinions  of  the  liberal  and  socialist  schools,  with  regard 
to  good  and  evil,  and  respecting  God  and  man — fearful 
questions,  which  greatly  embarrass  human  reason  when 
it  undertakes  to  solve  the  great  problems  relating  to 
religion,  politics,  and  society. 

As  regards  the  liberal  school,  I  shall  simply  say  of  it 
that  in  its  arrogant  ignorance  it  despises  theology;  not 
that  this  school  is  not  theological  in  its  own  way,  but 
because  it  is  so  without  knowing  it.  This  school  has 
never  been  able  to  perceive,  and  probably  never  will 
perceive,  the  close  tie  that  binds  together  things  human 
and  divine,  the  affinity  that  political  questions  bear  to 
social  and  religious  questions,  and  the  dependence  of  all 
problems  respecting  the  government  of-  nations,  upon 

15 


162 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


those  other  problems  which  relate  to  God  as  the  supreme 
legislator  of  all  human  associations. 

The  liberal  school  is  the  only  one  which  has  no  theo¬ 
logian  among  its  doctors  and  masters.  The  absolutists 
have  had  their  theologians,  and  have  more  than  once 
elevated  them  to  the  dignity  of  rulers  over  the  people, 
and  under  their  government  the  people  increased  in 
consequence  and  power.  France  will  never  forget  the 
administration  of  Cardinal  Richelieu,  whose  name  is  one 
of  the  most  famous  and  glorious  among  the  illustrious  of 
the  French  monarchy.  The  renown  of  the  great  cardi¬ 
nal  surpasses  that  of  many  kings ;  nor  was  its  splendor 
in  the  least  diminished  by  the  accession  to  the  throne  of 
that  powerful  and  glorious  monarch,  whom  France  with 
enthusiasm,  and  Europe  in  admiration,  called  the  Great. 
Ximenes,  of  Cisneros,  and  Alberoni,  the  two  greatest 
ministers  of  the  Spanish  monarchy,  were  both  cardinals 
and  theologians.  The  name  of  Ximenes  will  forever  be 
associated  with  that  of  the  most  illustrious  queen  and 
the  most  celebrated  woman  of  Spain,  so  famous  among 
nations  for  its  remarkable  women  and  illustrious  queens. 
Alberoni  is  considered  great  in  Europe,  for  the  grandeur 
of  his  plans  and  for  the  penetration  and  sagacity  of  his 
prodigious  genius.  Ximenes,  born  in  those  happy  days 
when  the  noble  acts  of  this  nation  raised  it  above  the 
dignity  of  history  and  elevated  it  to  the  majesty  and 
grandeur  of  the  epic,  directed  the  great  vessel  of  state 
with  a  firm  hand,  and  silencing  the  turbulence  of  the 
crew,  conducted  it  through  stormy  seas  into  more  tran¬ 
quil  and  serene  waters,  where  both  vessel  and  pilot  found 
a  peaceful  repose  and  uninterrupted  prosperity.  Albe¬ 
roni  appeared  in  those  unfortunate  times  when  the  great¬ 
ness  of  the  Spanish  monarchy  was  already  on  the  decline, 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


163 


and  yet  he  almost  reinstated  it  in  its  former  degree  of 
dignity  and  power,  causing  it  to  have  a  considerable 
weight  in  the  political  balance  of  European  nations. 

The  knowledge  of  God  imparts  to  its  possessor  both 
sagacity  and  strength,  since  it  not  only  quickens  the 
mind  but  also  expands  it.  What  strikes  me  as  most 
remarkable  in  the  lives  of  the  saints,  and  especially  in 
the  lives  of  the  Fathers  of  the  Desert,  is  something  that 
has  not  yet  been  fully  appreciated.  I  know  of  no  man, 
who  is  in  the  habit  of  conversing  with  God,  and  accus-  < 
tomed  to  the  contemplation  of  divine  things,  who,  cir¬ 
cumstances  being  equal,  is  not  superior  to  other  men, 
either  by  the  extent  of  his  genius,  the  solidity  of  his 
judgment,  or  the  penetration  and  acumen  of  his  intel¬ 
lect,  and,  above  all,  by  that  superior  and  practical 
prudence  which  men  call  good  sense. 

If  mankind  were  not  irremissibly  condemned  to  take 
a  distorted  view  of  things,  they  would  select  theologians 
from  among  men  as  counselors,  and  among  theologians 
they  would  select  the  mystics,  and  among  the  mystics 
those  who  have  lived  most  remote  from  the  affairs  of  the 
world.  Among  the  persons  whom  I  know,  and  I  know 
very  many,  the  only  ones  in  whom  I  have  recognized  an 
imperturbable  good  sense,  an  eminent  sagacity,  and  a 
wonderful  aptitude  for  the  practical  and  prudent  solu¬ 
tion  of  the  most  intricate  problems,  and  for  the  discovery 
of  the  best  manner  of  escaping  from  the  most  perplexing 
complications,  are  those  men  who  have  lived  a  retired 
and  contemplative  life ;  while,  on  the  contrary,  I  have 
never  met,  and  I  never  expect  to  meet,  among  those  per¬ 
sons  who  are  called  business  men,  who  hold  in  contempt 
all  intellectual  occupations,  and  especially  disdain  all 
attention  to  spiritual  contemplations,  those  who  are 


164 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


capable  of  understanding  any  affair  whatever.  To  this 
very  numerous  class  belong  those  whose  constant  at¬ 
tempt  is  to  deceive  others,  but  who  always  finish  by 
falling  victims  to  their  own  snares.  This  is  a  fact, 
which  strikingly  displays  the  profoundness  of  the  judg¬ 
ments  of  God,  because  if  God  had  not  condemned  to 
incapacity  those  who  disdain  and  ignore  him ;  or  if  he 
had  not  placed  a  limit  to  the  virtue  of  those  who  have  a 
remarkable  degree  of  sagacity,  society  could  not  have 
j  resisted  either  the  sagacity  of  one  class  or  the  malice  of 
the  other.  The  virtue  of  contemplative  men,  and  the 
stupidity  of  the  clever,  alone  preserve  the  world  in  a 
state  of  perfect  equilibrium.  There  is  only  one  being 
in  creation  who  unites  in  himself  all  the  sagacity  of 
spiritual  and  contemplative  natures,  and  all  the  malice 
of  those  who  ignore  and  despise  God  and  spiritual  con¬ 
templations — this  being  is  the  devil.  The  devil  has  the 
sagacity  of  the  former  without  their  virtue,  and  the 
malice  of  the  latter  without  their  stupidity,  and  his 
destructive  force  and  immense  power  come  precisely 
from  this  combination. 

As  to  the  liberal  school,  considered  in  general,  it  is 
not  theological,  except  in  the  degree  in  which  all  schools 
are  necessarily  so.  It  makes  no  explicit  declaration  of 
faith,  nor  does  it  attempt  to  define  its  opinions  respect¬ 
ing  God  and  man,  good  and  evil,  or  the  order  and  dis¬ 
order  in  which  all  creation  is  placed ;  but  it  boasts,  on 
the  contrary,  that  it  holds  these  high  speculations  in 
contempt.  We  may  nevertheless  affirm  of  this  school, 
that  it  believes  in  an  abstract  and  indolent  god,  who  is 
assisted  by  the  philosopher  in  the  direction  of  human 
affairs,  and  by  certain  laws  which  he  instituted  from 
the  beginning  for  the  universal  government  of  things. 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


165 


Although  this  school  views  God  as  the  king  of  creation, 
yet  it  supposes  him  to  remain  perpetually  and  sublimely 
ignorant  of  the  manner  in  which  his  kingdom  is  gov¬ 
erned  and  conducted;  and  that  when  he  appointed  those 
who  were  to  govern  in  his  name,  he  gave  them  the  pleni¬ 
tude  of  his  sovereignty,  and  declared  this  gift  to  be  per¬ 
petual  and  inviolable;  therefore  reverence  is  due  to  God 
from  the  people,  but  not  obedience. 

As  to  evil,  the  liberal  school  denies  its  existence  in 
physical  things,  but  concedes  that  it  exists  in  human 
affairs.  In  this  school,  all  questions  relative  to  good  or 
evil  resolve  themselves  into  questions  of  government, 
and  all  questions  respecting  government  into  questions 
of  legitimacy;  so  that  the  existence  of  evil  is  impossible 
when  a  government  is  legitimate,  and  evil  is  inevitable 
when  a  government  is  illegitimate ;  therefore  the  ques¬ 
tion  of  good  and  evil  is  reduced  to  the  inquiry,  What 
governments  are  legitimate  and  what  are  illegitimate? 

The  liberal  school  calls  those  governments  legitimate 
which  are  established  by  God,  and  those  illegitimate 
which  arc  not  founded  on  a  divinely  delegated  right. 
According  to  it,  God  has  willed  that  material  things 
should  be  subject  to  certain  physical  laws,  which  he 
established  from  the  beginning,  once  for  all ;  and  that 
societies  should  be  governed  by  reason,  which  is  incar¬ 
nated  in  a  general  manner  in  the  upper  classes,  and  in 
a  special  manner  in  the  philosophers  who  instruct  and 
direct  them ;  so  that  it  follows,  as  a  necessary  conse¬ 
quence,  that  there  are  only  two  legitimate  governments, 
that  of  human  reason,  as  embodied  in  a  general  manner 
in  the  middle  classes,  and  in  a  special  manner  in  the 
philosophers,  and  the  government  of  divine  reason,  as 

15* 


166 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


perpetually  embodied  in  certain  laws  to  which  material 
things  are  from  the  beginning  subject. 

It  will  undoubtedly  surprise  my  readers,  and  particu¬ 
larly  those  of  the  liberal  school,  that  I  should  trace  the 
liberal  doctrine  of  legitimacy  to  the  divine  right,  and 
yet  nothing  appears  to  me  more  evident.  The  liberal 
school  is  not  atheistical  in  its  dogmas,  although,  from 
its  not  being  Catholic,  it  is  led  without  knowing  or  even 
without  wishing  it,  from  consequence  to  consequence,  up 
to  the  confines  of  atheism.  Recognizing  the  existence 
of  a  God,  the  creator  of  every  creature,  it  cannot  deny 
to  the  God  that  it  recognizes  and  affirms,  the  original 
plenitude  of  all  rights ;  or,  what  in  the  language  of  the 
school  is  the  same  thing,  the  constituent  sovereignty. 

He  is  Catholic,  who  recognizes  in  God  both  a  con¬ 
stituent  and  an  actual  sovereignty;  and  he  is  a  deist, 
who  denies  that  God  has  an  actual  sovereignty,  and  only 
recognizes  that  He  possesses  a  constituent  sovereignty; 
and  he  is  an  atheist,  who  denies  to  God  all  sovereignty, 
because  he  denies  the  existence  of  God.  This  being  so, 
the  liberal  school,  in  so  far  as  deistical,  cannot  proclaim 
the  actual  sovereignty  of  reason,  without  at  the  same 
time  proclaiming  the  constituent  sovereignty  of  God, 
from  which  the  former,  which  is  always  delegated,  has 
its  principle  and  origin.  The  theory  of  the  constituent 
sovereignty  of  the  people  is  an  atheistical  theory,  not 
taught  by  the  liberal  school,  except  as  atheism  is  in 
deism,  that  is  to  say,  as  a  remote  but  inevitable  conse¬ 
quence.  Hence  proceed  the  two  great  divisions  of  the 
liberal  school — the  democratic,  and  the  liberal,  properly 
so  called.  The  first  is  more  consistent,  and  the  second 
more  timid.  Democratic  liberalism,  forced  by  an  inflex¬ 
ible  logic,  has,  like  the  river  flowing  onward  and  lost  in 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


167 


the  sea,  become  merged  at  the  present  day  in  those 
schools  which  are  at  the  same  time  atheistical  and  social¬ 
istic.  The  liberal  school,  properly  so  called,  struggles 
to  be  at  rest  on  the  eminence  which  it  has  attained, 
where  it  is  placed  between  two  seas,  whose  constantly 
advancing  waves  will  finally  overwhelm  it,  between  so¬ 
cialism  and  Catholicism.  We  at  present  speak  only  of 
this  division  of  the  liberal  school,  and  we  assert  of  it 
that,  as  it  cannot  admit  the  constituent  sovereignty  of 
the  people  without  becoming  democratic,  socialistic,  and 
atheistic,  nor  admit  the  actual  sovereignty  of  God  with¬ 
out  becoming  monarchical  and  Catholic,  it  admits  on  the 
one  side  the  original  sovereignty  of  God,  and  on  the 
other  the  actual  sovereignty  of  human  reason.  It  will 
therefore  be  perceived  that  we  were  right  in  affirming 
that  the  liberal  school  does  not  proclaim  the  human 
right,  except  as  originally  derived  from  the  divine 
right. 

This  school  admits  no  other  evil  than  that  which  pro¬ 
ceeds  from  the  transferring  of  government  from  the 
place  in  which  God  established  it  from  the  beginning  of 
time ;  and  as  material  things  always  remain  subject  to 
the  physical  laws  which  were  contemporaneous  with  the 
creation,  the  liberal  school  denies  evil  in  the  universality 
of  things ;  but,  as  it  happens  that  the  government  of 
societies  is  not  something  certain  and  fixed  with  the 
philosophic  dynasties,  which  by  divine  appointment  pos¬ 
sess  the  exclusive  right  to  govern  human  affairs,  the 
liberal  school  admits  evil  in  society,  whenever  the  gov¬ 
erning  power  passes  out  of  the  hands  of  the  philosophers 
or  the  middle  classes,  and  is  exercised  by  kings  or  the 
lower  classes. 

Of  all  the  schools  this  is  the  most  unsatisfactory,  be- 


168 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


cause  it  is  the  least  learned  and  the  most  egotistical. 
As  we  have  seen,  it  knows  nothing  of  the  nature  of  good 
or  evil;  it  has  scarcely  an  idea  of  God,  and  none  respect¬ 
ing  man.  Impotent  for  good,  because  it  is  destitute  of 
all  dogmatical  affirmations,  and  for  evil,  because  it  de¬ 
tests  all  bold  and  absolute  negations,  it  is  condemned, 
without  knowing  it,  eventually  to  take  refuge  either  in 
the  haven  of  Catholicism,  or  to  be  driven  upon  the  hid¬ 
den  rocks  of  socialism.  This  school  is  only  dominant 
when  society  is  threatened  with  dissolution,  and  the 
moment  of  its  authority  is  that  transitory  and  fugitive 
one,  in  which  the  world  stands  doubting  between  Barab- 
bas  and  Jesus,  and  hesitates  between  a  dogmatical  affirm¬ 
ation  and  a  supreme  negation.  At  such  a  time,  society 
willingly  allows  itself  to  be  governed  by  a  school  which 
never  affirms  nor  denies ,  but  is  always  making  distinc¬ 
tions.  It  is  essential  to  this  school  to  repress  alike  all 
supreme  affirmations  and  all  radical  negations,  and  thus, 
by  means  of  discussion,  it  confounds  all  ideas  and  propa¬ 
gates  skepticism ;  knowing  well  that  a  people  who  per¬ 
petually  hear  from  the  lips  of  its  sophists  the  pro  and 
con  of  everything,  must  finish  by  not  knowing  what  to 
believe,  and  by  asking  themselves  "whether  truth  and 
error,  justice  and  injustice,  bad  and  good,  are  really 
antagonistic  to  each  other,  or  if  they  are  only  the  same 
thing,  viewed  under  different  aspects.  Such  periods  of 
agonizing  doubt  can  never  last  any  great  length  of  time, 
however  prolonged  their  duration  may  appear.  Man 
was  born  to  act,  and  unceasing  discussion  is  contra¬ 
dictory  to  human  nature,  inasmuch  as  it  is  incompatible 
with  action.  The  repressed  instincts  of  the  people  will 
soon  reassert  their  sway,  and  they  will  resolutely  de¬ 
clare  either  for  Barabbas  or  Jesus,  and  overturn  all  that 
the  sophists  have  attempted  to  establish. 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


169 


The  socialist  schools,  considered  theoretically,  as  they 
appear  in  the  writings  of  their  doctors  and  masters,  and 
apart  from  the  vulgar  who  follow  them,  possess  great 
advantages  over  the  liberal  school,  precisely  because 
they  approach  directly  all  great  problems  and  ques¬ 
tions,  and  always  give  a  peremptory  and  decisive  solu¬ 
tion.  The  strength  of  socialism  consists  in  its  being 
a  system  of  theology,  and  it  is  destructive  only  because 
it  is  a  satanic  theology. 

The  socialist  schools,  as  they  are  theological,  will  pre¬ 
vail  over  the  liberal,  because  the  latter  are  antitheolog- 
ical  and  skeptical.  But  they  themselves,  on  account  of 
their  satanic  element,  will  be  vanquished  by  the  Catholic 
school,  which  is  at  the  same  time  theological  and  divine. 
The  instincts  of  socialism  would  seem  to  agree  with  our 
affirmations,  since  it  hates  Catholicism,  while  it  simply 
despises  liberalism. 

Democratic  socialism  has  reason  to  ask  liberalism  : 
“What  manner  of  God  is  this  that  you  propose  to  my 
adoration,  who  must  assuredly  be  inferior  to  you,  since 
he  has  neither  will,  nor  even  a  personality?  I  deny 
the  existence  of  a  Catholic  God ;  but  while  I  deny 
it,  I  can  conceive  it.  That  which  I  cannot  imagine,  is 
a  God  without  the  divine  attributes.  Everything  in¬ 
clines  me  to  believe  that,  if  you  admit  the  existence  of 
God,  it  is  in  order  that  you  may  receive  through  him 
the  legitimacy  which  you  do  not  of  yourself  possess. 
Your  legitimacy  and  your  existence  are  a  fiction  based 
upon  a  fiction,  and  a  shadow  resting  on  a  shadow.  My 
mission  is  to  dissipate  all  shadows,  and  to  put  an  end  to 
fictions.  The  distinction  between  the  actual  and  the 
constituent  authority  has  every  appearance  of  being 
invented  by  those  who,  not  daring  to  claim  both,  desire 


170 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


at  least  to  usurp  one.  The  sovereign  must  be  as  God ; 
either  he  is  one,  or  he  can  have  no  existence.  The 
sovereignty  must  be  as  the  Divinity;  either  it  does  not 
exist,  or  it  is  indivisible  and  incommunicable.  In  the 
two  words,  the  legitimacy  of  reason,  the  last  designates 
the  subject,  and  the  first  the  attribute.  I  deny  both 
the  attribute  and  the  sufcyect.  What  is  legitimacy,  and 
what  is  reason  ?  And  if  it  is  admitted  that  they  mean 
anything,  how  do  you  know  whether  they  are  to  be 
found  in  liberalism  and  not  in  socialism,  in  you  and  not 
in  me,  in  the  middle  classes  and  not  in  the  people  ?  I 
deny  your  legitimacy  and  you  deny  mine ;  you  deny  my 
reason  and  I  deny  yours.  When  you  provoke  me  to. 
discussion,  I  pardon  you,  because  you  know  not  what 
you  do.  Discussion,  the  universal  dissolvent,  whose 
secret  virtue  you  do  not  understand,  has  destroyed  your 
adversaries,  and  will  destroy  yourself.  As  to  me,  I  am 
resolved  not  to  tolerate  it,  for  if  I  do  not  suppress  it,  it 
will  turn  against  me.  Discussion  is  a  spiritual  sword, 
which  turns  the  mind  with  bandaged  eyes,  and  against 
its  power  neither  dexterity  nor  an  armor  of  steel  avails. 
Death  assumes  the  guise  of  discussion  when  it  desires  to 
remain  concealed  and  unrecognized.  Rome  was  too  wise 
to  be  thus  deceived,  and  when  it  entered  her  gates  under 
the  mask  of  a  sophist,  she  saw  the  disguise,  and  hastened 
to  dismiss  it.  According  to  Catholic  doctrine,  man  fell 
only  because  he  entered  into  an  argument  with  the 
woman,  and  the  woman  fell  because  she  listened  to  the 
devil ;  and  later,  in  the  midway  of  time,  this  same 
demon,  it  is  said,  appeared  to  Jesus  in  a  desert,  and 
attempted  to  provoke  him  to  a  spiritual  contest,  or,  as 
we  would  express  it,  to  a  tribunal  discussion.  But  here 
we  find  that  the  devil  met  a  more  prudent  adversary, 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


171 


whose  reply  was,  ‘Begone,  Satan!’  which  put  an  end  at 
once  to  the  temptation  and  to  the  diabolical  illusions. 
It  must  be  confessed  that  the  Catholics  have  a  special 
gift  of  exhibiting  great  truths  in  a  clear  light,  and  pre¬ 
senting  them  under  the  form  of  ingenious  fictions.  All 
antiquity  would  have  condemned  the  stupidity  of  any 
man  who  would  publicly  discuss  at  the  same  time  things 
human  and  divine,  religious  and  social  institutions,  the 
authorities  and  the  gods.  Socrates,  Plato,  and  Aristotle 
would  have  united  in  passing  a  sentence  of  condemna¬ 
tion  against  such  a  person,  and  the  cynics  and  sophists 
would  have  been  his  only  champions. 

“As  regards  evil,  it  either  exists  throughout  creation 
or  not  at  all.  Forms  of  government  have  little  power 
to  produce  it.  If  society  is  sound  and  well  constituted, 
it  is  capable  of  resisting  all  possible  forms  of  govern¬ 
ment.  If  it  cannot  do  this,  it  is  because  it  is  badly 
constituted  and  diseased.  We  cannot  conceive  evil,  save 
as  an  organic  vice  of  society,  or  as  a  radical  vice  of 
human  nature,  and  in  this  case  the  remedy  is  not  to 
change  the  government,  but  to  alter  the  social  organism 
or  the  constitution  of  man.” 

The  fundamental  error  of  liberalism  is,  that  it  con¬ 
siders  questions  of  government  as  alone  important,  when 
they  are  in  reality  of  no  consequence  whatever,  com¬ 
pared  to  those  of  religious  and  social  order.  This  helps 
to  explain  why  liberalism  is  always  and  everywhere 
entirely  eclipsed,  from  the  moment  that  Catholics  and 
socialists  announce  their  tremendous  problems  and  their 
contradictory  solutions.  When  Catholicism  affirms  that 
evil  comes  from  sin,  that  sin  in  the  first  man  corrupted 
human  nature,  yet,  nevertheless,  good  prevails  over  evil, 
and  order  over  disorder,  because  the  one  is  human  and 


172 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


the  other  divine — there  is  no  doubt  that  this  doctrine, 
even  before  investigation,  is  satisfactory  to  reason,  be¬ 
cause  it  proportions  the  grandeur  of  the  causes  to  that 
of  the  effects,  and  proposes  an  explanation  equal  to  the 
question  that  is  to  be  explained.  When  socialism  affirms 
that  man’s  nature  is  perfect,  and  that  society  is  sick ; 
when  it  places  the  former  in  open  conflict  with  the  latter, 
in  order  that  the  good  which  is  in  man  may  extirpate 
the  evil  that  is  in  society;  when  it  calls  upon  humanity 
to  rise  in  rebellion  against  all  social  institutions,  there  is 
undoubtedly  in  this  mode  of  presenting  and  explaining 
a  question,  false  as  it  is,  much  that  in  dignity  and 
grandeur  is  worthy  of  the  terrible  majesty  of  the  sub¬ 
ject.  But  when  liberalism  explains  good  and  evil,  order 
and  disorder,  by  the  diversity  of  governmental  forms, 
which  are  all  ephemeral  and  transitory;  when,  setting 
aside  all  social  and  religious  problems,  it  discusses  its 
political  problems  as  alone  worthy  the  serious  considera¬ 
tion  of  a  statesman,  truly  words  fail  to  express  our 
sentiments  of  the  profound  incapacity  and  radical  in¬ 
competency  of  this  school,  we  will  not  say  to  solve,  but 
even  to  present  these  formidable  questions. 

The  liberal  school,  fearing  at  the  same  time  both  light 
and  darkness,  has  chosen  an  uncertain  twilight  between 
the  luminous  and  opaque  regions,  between  eternal  shade 
and  heavenly  light.  Placed  in  this  nameless  region,  it 
has  undertaken  to  govern  without  a  people  and  without 
God ;  an  extravagant  and  impossible  attempt.  Its  days 
are  numbered,  because  we  see  God  appearing  at  one 
point  of  the  horizon,  and  at  the  other  the  people.  On 
the  terrible  day  of  battle,  when  the  entire  field  will  be 
covered  with  Catholic  and  socialist  combatants,  no  one 
will  know  where  to  find  this  school  of  liberalism. 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


173 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Socialist  solutions. 

The  socialist  schools  are  greatly  superior  to  the  lib¬ 
eral  school,  both  as  to  the  nature  of  the  problems  which 
they  propose  to  solve  and  in  their  mode  of  presenting 
and  explaining  them.  Their  masters  evince  a  familiar¬ 
ity,  up  to  a  certain  point,  with  those  bold  speculations 
which  refer  to  God  and  his  nature,  man  and  his  consti¬ 
tution,  society  and  its  institutions,  the  universe  and  its 
laws.  This  propensity  to  generalize  everything,  to  con¬ 
sider  things  in  their  ensemble ,  and  to  observe  general 
dissonances  and  harmonies,  gives  them  a  greater  apti¬ 
tude  to  enter  and  to  escape  from  the  intricate  labyrinth 
of  the  rationalistic  logic  without  losing  themselves.  If, 
in  the  great  contest  which  holds  the  world  as  it  were 
in  suspense,  there  were  no  other  disputants  than  the 
socialists  and  liberalists,  the  battle  would  not  last  long, 
nor  would  the  victory  be  doubtful. 

All  the  socialist  schools  are,  in  a  philosophical  point 
of  view,  rationalistic  ;  under  a  political  aspect,  repub¬ 
lican  ;  and  under  a  religious  aspect,  atheistical.  They 
resemble  the  liberal  school  in  their  elements  of  rational¬ 
ism,  and  differ  from  this  school  in  so  far  as  they  are 
atheistical  and  republican.  The  question,  then,  consists 
in  investigating  whether  rationalism  logically  ends  where 
the  liberal  school  does,  or  proceeds  as  far  as  the  socialist 
school.  We  shall  defer  the  examination  of  this  ques- 

16 


1T4 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


tion  in  its  political  aspect,  and  shall  at  present  consider 
it  especially  under  its  religious  aspect. 

Considered  in  this  aspect,  it  is  clear  that  the  system 
which  concedes  to  reason  a  universal  ability  to  solve  of 
itself,  and  unaided  by  God,  all  questions  respecting  the 
political,  religious,  social,  and  human  order,  supposes 
reason  to  possess  a  complete  sovereignty  and  an  abso¬ 
lute  independence.  This  system  simultaneously  involves 
three  negations — namely,  the  negation  of  revelation,  the 
negation  of  grace,  and  the  negation  of  providence.  It 
implies  that  of  revelation,  because  revelation  contradicts 
the  universal  adequacy  of  human  reason;  that  of  grace, 
because  grace  denies  its  absolute  independence ;  that  of 
providence,  because  providence  likewise  denies  its  inde¬ 
pendent  sovereignty.  But  these  three  negations,  atten¬ 
tively  considered,  form  but  one — the  negation  of  every 
tie  which  binds  God  and  man — because  if  man  is  not 
united  to  God  by  revelation,  by  providence,  and  by  grace, 
he  is  not  united  to  Him  in  any  way  whatever. 

Now,  to  affirm  this  absolute  separation  between  God 
and  man,  is  to  deny  God.  To  dogmatically  affirm  the 
existence  of  God,  after  having  dogmatically  despoiled 
him  of  all  his  attributes,  is  an  inconsistency  reserved 
for  the  liberal  school,  which  is  the  most  contradictory  of 
all  the  rationalistic  schools.  This  inconsistency,  how¬ 
ever,  far  from  being  accidental,  is  essential  in  that  school, 
which,  in  whatever  light  we  regard  it,  is  an  extravagant 
assemblage  of  evident  contradictions.  Its  contradictions 
in  regard  to  God  in  the  religious  order,  are  also  exhib¬ 
ited  in  the  political  order,  in  reference  to  the  people  and 
their  rulers.  The  office  of  this  school  is  to  proclaim  the 
existences  which  it  annuls,  and  to  annul  the  existences 
which  it  proclaims.  Each  one  of  its  principles  is  asso- 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


175 


dated  with  another  contradictory  to  it,  which  destroys 
it.  Thus,  for  example,  it  proclaims  a  monarchy,  and  at 
the  same  time  a  ministerial  responsibility;  and,  as  a 
consequence,  the  omnipotence  of  the  minister,  who  is 
made  responsible,  which  is  the  negation  of  the  mon¬ 
archy.  It  proclaims  ministerial  omnipotence,  and  at 
the  same  time  a  supreme  right  of  intervention  on  the 
part  of  deliberative  assemblies  in  the  affairs  of  govern¬ 
ment,  which  is  incompatible  with  the  omnipotence  of  the 
ministry.  It  proclaims  that  political  assemblies  have 
the  right  of  supreme  intervention  in  affairs  of  state,  and 
at  the  same  time  it  accords  to  electoral  colleges  the  right 
of  deciding  matters,  which  is  in  contradiction  with  the 
supreme  intervention  of  political  assemblies.  It  invests 
the  electors  with  a  supreme  right  of  arbitration,  and  at 
the  same  time  it  recognizes,  more  or  less  explicitly,  the 
supreme  right  of  revolution,  which  is  subversive  of  that 
pacific  and  supreme  right  of  arbitration.  It  asserts  the 
right  of  revolution  as  belonging  to  the  people,  by  which 
it  affirms  their  sovereign  omnipotence ;  and  at  the  same 
time  it  asserts  the  law  of  the  electoral  census,  which  is 
virtually  to  ostracize  the  sovereignty  of  the  people.  And 
with  all  these  principles,  and  their  counter-principles,  it 
has  only  one  object  in  view,  and  that  is  to  produce  and 
maintain,  by  industry  and  artifice,  an  equilibrium  which 
it  never  can  attain,  because  this  is  opposed  to  the  nature 
of  society  and  the  nature  of  man. 

There  is  only  one  power  against  which  the  liberal 
school  has  not  sought  a  counterpoise,  and  this  is  the 
power  of  corruption.  Corruption  is  the  god  of  this 
school,  and  like  God,  is  everywhere  at  the  same  time. 
To  such  a  degree  is  it  the  controlling  element  in  the 
liberal  school  that,  wherever  this  school  prevails,  all 


176 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


must  forcibly  be  either  corrupters  or  corrupted;  be¬ 
cause,  where  every  man  can  aspire  to  become  Cesar,  or 
by  his  vote  to  create  Cesar,  or  by  his  approval  to  con¬ 
firm  the  power  of  Cesar,  there  all  men  must  either  be 
Cesars  or  pretors.  Therefore,  every  society  which  falls 
under  the  domination  of  this  school  dies  the  same  death 
— they  all  die  of  gangrene.  Kings  corrupt  their  minis¬ 
ters,  promising  them  a  permanence  of  power ;  and  the 
ministers  corrupt  the  kings,  promising  to  augment  their 
prerogatives ;  and  they  also  pervert  the  representatives 
of  the  people,  by  placing  at  their  disposal  all  the  state 
preferments,  to  gain  which  the  assemblies  give  their 
votes  to  the  ministers.  The  elected  traffic  with  their 
power,  the  electors  with  their  influence.  All  combine 
to  bribe  the  people  with  their  promises,  and  the  people, 
in  turn,  intimidate  every  one  by  their  clamors  and 
threats. 

To  resume  the  thread  of  this  argument — when  the 
socialist  schools  deny  the  existence  of  God,  which  the 
liberal  school  affirms,  they  are  more  logical  and  consist¬ 
ent  than  the  liberal  school;  yet  they  are  far  from  being 
as  consistent  within  their  limits  as  the  Catholic  school 
is  with  itself.  The  Catholic  school  affirms  the  existence 
of  God,  and  all  his  attributes,  with  a  dogmatical  and 
supreme  affirmation.  The  socialists,  on  the  contrary, 
although  in  reality  they  deny  God,  do  not  deny  him  in 
the  same  way,  or  for  the  same  reasons,  nor  do  they  deny 
him  boldly.  The  reason  is  this,  that  the  most  intrepid 
man  is  seized  with  terror  when  he  seeks  to  affirm  posi¬ 
tively  that  there  is  no  God.  It  would  seem  as  if  man 
feared  that,  if  he  made  such  an  assertion,  he  would  be  de¬ 
prived  of  the  power  ever  to  utter  another  word,  and  that 
such  a  blasphemy  would  cause  the  heavens  to  fall  upon 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


177 


and  crush  the  blasphemer.  Thus  we  hear  some  deny 
God  by  saying,  all  that  exists  is  God,  and  God  is  all 
that  exists ;  while  others  affirm  that  God  and  humanity 
are  identical.  Among  these,  some  maintain  that  there 
is  in  humanity  a  dualism  of  contrary  forces  and  ener¬ 
gies,  and  that  man  is  the  representative  of  this  dualism. 
Those  who  entertain  this  opinion  distinguish  in  man  the 
reflective  forces  and*  the  spontaneous  energies.  Accord¬ 
ing  to  them,  true  humanity  resides  in  the  first,  and  true 
divinity  in  the  second.  By  this  system,  God  is  neither 
all  that  exists  nor  humanity;  he  is  but  the  half  of  man. 
Others  think  differently,  and  deny  that  God  is  man  or  a 
part  of  man,  that  he  is  humanity,  or  that  he  is  the  uni¬ 
verse;  but  they  are  disposed  to  believe  that  he  is  a  being 
who  is  manifested  in  various  and  successive  incarna¬ 
tions,  and  wherever  there  is  a  great  influence  or  a  mag¬ 
nificent  domination,  there  God  is  incarnated.  God  was 
incarnated  in  Cesar,  and  in  Charles  the  Great,  and  in 
Napoleon.  He  was  successively  incarnated  in  the  great 
Asiatic  empires,  and  also  in  the  Macedonian  and  Roman. 
At  first  he  was  the  Orient,  and  afterward  he  was  the 
Occident.  The  world  experienced  a  change  in  each  of 
these  divine  incarnations,  and  advanced  a  step  in  the 
path  of  progress  each  time  that  it  changed,  in  conse¬ 
quence  of  a  new  incarnation. 

All  these  antagonistic  and  absurd  systems  are  em¬ 
bodied  in  a  man  who  has  appeared  in  the  world,  in  these 
latter  days,  as  the  personification  of  all  the  inconsist¬ 
encies  of  rationalism.  This  man  is  Mr.  Proudhon,  whom 
we  have  already  noticed,  and  to  whom  we  shall  fre¬ 
quently  allude  in  the  course  of  this  work.  Mr.  Proud¬ 
hon  is  esteemed  the  most  learned  and  consistent  of  the 
modern  socialists ;  and  as  regards  erudition,  he  is  cer- 

16* 


178 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


tainly  superior  to  almost  all  contemporary  rationalists. 
As  to  his  consistency,  the  reader  will  be  enabled  to  form 
some  idea  of  it  from  the  passages  which  we  are  about  to 
quote  from  his  writings,  in  which  he  treats  of  the  subjects 
discussed  in  this  book. 

In  the  Confessions  of  a  Revolutionist ,  Mr.  Proudhon 
thus  defines  God:  uGod  is  the  universal  force,  and  is 
penetrated  with  intelligence,  which  produces,  through  an 
infinite  knowledge  of  itself,  the  beings  of  all  kingdoms, 
from  the  imponderable  fluid  up  to  man,  and  which  only 
in  man  acquires  a  knowledge  of  self,  and  says — I  am. 
God,  far  from  being  our  master,  is  the  object  of  our 
study.  How  can  the  thaumaturgists  have  had  the 
audacity  to  convert  him  into  a  personal  being,  who  is 
at  times  an  absolute  king,  like  the  God  of  the  Jews  and 
Christians ;  and  at  other  times  a  constitutional  sover¬ 
eign,  like  the  God  of  the  deists,  whose  incomprehensible 
providence  over  us  appears  to  be  perpetually  and  solely 
exercised,  both  by  his  precepts  and  acts,  in  confounding 
our  reason?”  Here  Mr.  Proudhon  has  affirmed  three 
things:  first,  the  assertion  of  a  universal,  intelligent, 
and  divine  force,  which  is  pantheism ;  second,  a  higher 
incarnation  of  God  in  humanity,  which  is  humanitarian- 
ism  ;  third,  the  negation  of  a  personal  God,  and  of  his 
providence,  which  results  in  deism. 

In  the  work  which  is  entitled  The  System  of  Eco¬ 
nomic  Contradictions ,  ch.  viii.,  Mr.  Proudhon  says:  “I 
shall  set  aside  the  pantheistic  hypothesis,  which  has 
always  appeared  to  me  either  hypocritical  or  cowardly. 
God  is  personal,  or  he  does  not  exist.”  Here  he  affirms 
all  that  he  denies,  and  denies  all  that  he  affirms  in  the 
preceding  sentences.  These  affirm  a  pantheistical  and 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


179 


impersonal  God ;  while  here  are  denied,  as  equally 
absurd,  both  the  impersonality  of  God  and  pantheism. 

Further  on  in  this  chapter,  he  adds:  “The  true  rem¬ 
edy  against  fanaticism  is  not,  it  appears  to  me,  in  iden¬ 
tifying  humanity  with  the  Divinity,  which  is  nothing 
else  than  affirming  communism  in  political  economy, 
and  mysticism  and  the  statu  quo  in  philosophy.  The 
true  remedy  is  to  prove  to  humanity  that  God,  if  he 
exists,  is  its  enemy.’ ’  We  here  see  that,  after  having 
denied  pantheism  and  an  impersonal  God,  Mr.  Proudhon 
also  denies  humanism,  as  contained  in  his  definition. 
On  the  other  hand,  his  theory  of  a  rivalry  between  God 
and  man,  which  we  have  already  noticed  in  a  former 
chapter  of  this  book,  begins  here  to  assume  a  concrete 
form. 

He  asserts  this  theory,  and  also  the  condemnation  of 
humanitarianism,  still  more  clearly  in  the  ninth  chapter 
of  the  same  book,  where  he  says :  “For  my  part,  and  I 
regret  to  confess  it,  for  I  feel  that  such  a  declaration 
separates  me  from  the  most  intelligent  among  the  so¬ 
cialists,  the  more  I  reflect  upon  it  the  more  I  find  it 
impossible  to  believe  in  this  deification  of  our  species, 
which,  attentively  considered,  is  nothing  else,  among  the 
atheists  of  our  day,  than  the  expiring  echo  of  religious 
terrors,  which,  re-establishing  and  consecrating  mysti¬ 
cism  under  the  name  of  humanism,  replaces  the  sciences 
under  the  sway  of  prejudice,  subjects  the  moral  world 
to  the  authority  of  custom,  and  the  social  economy  to 
the  rule  of  communism,  or,  what  is  the  same  thing, 
atony  and  misery;  and  finally,  it  even  subjects  logic  to 
the  domination  of  the  absurd  and  the  absolute ;  and,  as 
I  find  myself  compelled  to  repudiate  .  .  .  this  new 
religion,  together  with  those  which  have  preceded  it,  I 


180 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


must  also  receive  as  plausible  the  hypothesis  of  an  infi¬ 
nite  being  .  .  .  against  which  I  must  struggle  even 

unto  death ;  for  this  is  my  destiny,  even  as  it  is  that  of 
Israel  to  contend  against  Jehovah.” 

Nothing  here  remains  of  the  previously  given  defini¬ 
tion  of  God,  except  the  negation  of  providence,  and  even 
this  negation  disappears  with  this  contradictory  affirma¬ 
tion :  “We  are  thus  conducted  by  chance,  when  guided 
by  Providence,  which  never  warns  save  when  it  strikes 
us.”* 

In  the  foregoing  paragraphs,  we  perceive  that  Mr. 
Proudhon  goes  through  all  the  gradations  of  rational¬ 
istic  contradictions,  and  is  successively  pantheist,  hu¬ 
manist,  and  manicheist.  He  professes  to  believe  in  an 
impersonal  God,  and  then  declares  as  monstrous  and 
absurd  the  idea  of  a  God,  unless  the  God  conceived 
is  personal ;  and  finally,  he  affirms  and  denies  Provi¬ 
dence  at  the  same  time.  Nor  is  this  all.  We  have  seen, 
in  one  of  the  preceding  chapters,  in  what  manner  the 
manichean  theory  of  a  rivalry  between  God  and  man 
makes  man,  according  to  the  system  of  Proudhon,  the 
representative  of  good,  and  God  the  representative  of 
evil.  We  shall  now  see  in  what  way,  according  to  Mr. 
Proudhon,  this  same  system  falls  to  the  ground. 

In  the  second  chapter  of  the  work  already  cited,  he 
makes  use  of  the  following  language:  “Either  nature  or 
the  Deity  has  mistrusted  our  hearts,  and  has  doubted 
the  love  of  man  for  his  fellow-creatures.  All  the  dis¬ 
coveries  of  science  respecting  the  designs  of  Providence 
in  social  progress,  and  I  say  it  with  shame  for  the 
human  conscience,  (but  our  hypocrisy  must  know  it,) 


*  System  of  Contradictions,  chap.  iii. 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


181 


prove  the  profound  hatred  of  God  for  mankind.  God 
does  not  aid  us  through  kindness,  but  because  order 
constitutes  his  essence.  If  he  seeks  the  welfare  of 
mankind,  it  is  not  because  he  deems  them  worthy  of 
benefits,  but  because  he  is  compelled  to  do  so  by  the 
religion  of  his  supreme  wisdom.  While  the  vulgar  give 
him  the  tender  appellation  of  Father,  neither  the  his¬ 
torian  nor  the  political  economist  can  discover  any  rea¬ 
son  to  believe  in  the  possibility  of  our  being  the  objects 
either  of  his  esteem  or  of  his  love.” 

These  words  are  a  refutation  of  the  manicheism  of 
Proudhon.  Man  is  not  the  rival,  but  the  despised  slave 
of  God;  he  is  neither  good  nor  evil,  but  a  creature  gov¬ 
erned  by  those  gross  and  servile  instincts  which  in  slaves 
engender  servitude.  God  is  an  indescribable  combina¬ 
tion  of  severe,  inflexible,  and  mathematical  laws.  He 
does  good  without  being  good,  and  his  misanthropy 
shows  that  he  would  be  evil  if  his  nature  permitted  it. 
The  Proudhonian  God  in  this  bears  an  evident  resem¬ 
blance  to  the  Fatum  of  the  ancients.  Fatalism  is  still 
more  clearlv  manifested  in  the  following  words : — 

“  Having  arrived  at  the  second  station  of  our  Cal¬ 
vary,  instead  of  occupying  ourselves  with  sterile  con¬ 
templations,  it  is  best  for  us  to  attend  more  closely  to 
the  teachings  of  fate.  The  pledge  of  our  liberty  is 
altogether  in  the  progress  of  our  punishment.” 

After  fatalism  comes  atheism.  “What  is  God? 
Where  is  he?  How  many  Gods  are  there?  What  does 
God  desire?  What  is  the  extent  of  his  power?  What 
promises  does  he  make  us?  If  we  undertake  to  inves¬ 
tigate  all  these  things  by  the  light  of  analysis,  all  the 
divinities  of  earth,  heaven,  and  hell  are  immediately  re¬ 
duced  to  I  know  not  what;  that  is,  incorporeal,  impos- 


182 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM. 


sible,  immovable,  incomprehensible,  indefinable ;  in  a 
word,  to  a  negation  of  all  the  attributes  of  existence. 
In  fact,  whether  man  invests  every  object  with  a  special 
mind  or  spirit,  or  conceives  the  universe  as  governed  by 
one  only  power,  he  simply  asserts  by  either  of  these 
propositions  an  unconditional — that  is  to  say,  an  impos¬ 
sible — entity,  in  order  to  give  an  explanation  more  or 
less  satisfactory  of  phenomena  which  he  deems  to  be 
otherwise  incomprehensible.  What  a  high  and  profound 
mystery !  The  believer,  in  order  to  make  the  object  of  his 
idolatry  more  rational,  successively  deprives  it  of  every 
attribute  which  could  constitute  its  reality;  and  then, 
after  prodigious  efforts  of  logic  and  talent,  finally  dis¬ 
covers  that  the  attributes  of  the  Supreme  Being  are 
identified  with  those  of  nothing.  This  result  is  inevi¬ 
table:  atheism  is  at  the  foundation  of  all  theodicy.”* 
The  atheist,  having  once  arrived  at  this  extreme  con¬ 
clusion,  and  plunged  into  this  dark  abyss,  seems  as  if 
possessed  by  furies.  His  heart  is  filled  with  blasphemies 
which  oppress  his  utterance  and  burn  upon  his  lips ;  and 
when  he  would  impiously  pile  up  these  blasphemies  like 
a  pyramid,  raising  them  one  upon  the  other,  even  to  the 
throne  of  God,  he  sees  with  terror  that,  overcome  by 
their  own  specific  weight,  instead  of  soaring  to  heavenly 
heights,  they  fall  flatly  and  heavily  into  the  abyss  which 
is  their  center.  Every  word  and  expression  then  be¬ 
comes  replete  with  sarcasm  and  contempt,  with  vulgarity 
and  frenzied  wrath.  His  style  is  at  once  forcible  and 
heavy,  eloquent,  although  cynically  coarse.  He  ex¬ 
claims:  u Why  adore  this  phantom  of  a  Deity?  And 
what  does  he  require  of  us  by  that  band  of  enthusiasts 


*  System  of  Contradictions — Prologue. 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


183 


who,  on  all  sides,  persecute  us  with  their  sermons?”* 
And  further  on  he  makes  these  cynical  remarks :  “  God ! 
I  do  not  acknowledge  any  God.  God  is,  moreover,  noth¬ 
ing  hut  pure  mysticism.  If  you  wish  us  to  listen  to 
you,  commence  by  banishing  this  word  from  your  dis¬ 
course;  because  the  experience  of  three  thousand  years 
teaches  me  that  he  who  speaks  to  me  of  God  would  rob 
me  of  my  liberty  or  my  purse.  How  much  do  you  owe 
me?  How  much  do  I  owe  you?  This  is  my  religion 
and  my  God.”f  Then,  in  a  paroxysm  of  rage,  he  breaks 
forth  into  these  words:  “This  I  say:  the  first  duty  of 
an  intelligent  and  free  man  is  immediately  to  discard 
the  idea  of  God  both  from  his  soul  and  his  conscience; 
because  God,  if  he  exists,  is  essentially  hostile  to  our 
nature,  and  we  are  in  nothing  dependent  upon  him.  .  .  . 
By  what  right,  moreover,  could  God  say  to  me,  be  thou 
holy  even  as  I  am  holy?  Lying  spirit!  I  would 
say  to  him  in  reply,  imbecile  God,  thy  sovereignty  is 
already  at  an  end ;  seek  other  victims  among  the  brute 
creation.  I  know  that  I  am  not,  neither  can  I  ever 
become  holy ;  and  how  canst  thou  be  so  if  thou  and  I 
resemble  each  other?  Eternal  Father,  Jupiter  or  Jeho¬ 
vah,  whatever  thou  wishest  me  to  call  thee,  learn  from 
me  that  we  know  thee.  Thou  art,  thou  wast,  and  thou 
wilt  ever  be  the  rival  of  Adam,  the  tyrant  of  Prome¬ 
theus.  ”J  And  further  on,  in  the  same  chapter,  he  apos¬ 
trophizes  the  divinity  that  he  denies,  and  says  to  him: 
“Thou  dost  triumph,  and  none  dared  contradict  thee, 
when,  after  tormenting  the  just  Job  in  soul  and  body, 
who  was  the  type  of  our  humanity,  thou  didst  insult 


*  System  of  Contradictions,  chap.  iii. 
f  Ibid.  chap.  vi.  J  Chap.  viii. 


184  ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 

his  sincere  piety  and  his  discreet  and  respectful  igno¬ 
rance.  We  were  all  as  nothing  in  presence  of  thy  invis¬ 
ible  majesty,  to  whom  we  gave  the  heavens  as  a  canopy 
and  the  earth  as  a  footstool.  The  times  are  now  changed, 
and  we  behold  thee  weakened  and  dethroned.  Thy  . 
name,  once  the  sum  and  substance  of  all  wisdom,  the 
only  sanction  of  the  judge,  the  sole  authority  of  the 
priest,  the  hope  of  the  poor,  the  refuge  of  the  repent¬ 
ing  sinner, — this  incommunicable  name  has  now  become 
an  object  of  execration  and  contempt,  and  will  be  hence¬ 
forth  despised  by  all  men.  For  God  is  but  folly  and 
timidity;  God  is  but  hypocrisy  and  deceit;  God  is  but 
tyranny  and  misery ;  God  is  evil.  So  long  as  humanity 
lies  prostrate  before  an  altar  the  slave  of  kings  and 
priests,  it  will  continue  condemned.  While  one  man 
receives,  in  the  name  of  God,  the  homage  of  other  men, 
society  will  continue  to  be  founded  on  perjury,  and 
peace  and  love  will  be  banished  from  the  earth.  With¬ 
draw  from  me,  0  Jehovah;  for  henceforth,  freed  from 
the  fear  of  God,  and  having  attained  true  wisdom,  I 
swear,  with  uplifted  hand  to  heaven,  that  thou  art  only 
the  tormentor  of  my  reason  and  the  specter  of  my  con¬ 
science.” 

It  is  he  who  has  said  it:  God  is  the  specter  of  his 
conscience.  No  one  can  deny  God  without  condemn¬ 
ing  himself ;  no  one  can  fly  from  God  without  flying  from 
himself.  This  unhappy  being,  although  yet  on  earth,  is 
already  in  hell;  those  violent  and  impotent  muscular 
contractions,  that  morose  frenzy,  that  insensate  wrath, 
that  furious  and  tempestuous  rage,  are  in  truth  the  con¬ 
tractions,  the  frenzy,  the  wrath,  and  the  rage  of  the 
reprobate.  Without  charity  and  without  faith,  he  has 
lost  even  that  last  good  of  man — hope.  And  yet,  when 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


185 


he  speaks  of  Catholicism,  he  sometimes  feels  in  his  soul, 
without  knowing  it,  its  serene  and  sanctifying  influence. 
Then  his  martyrdom  ceases,  as  if  by  enchantment;  a 
gentle  and  refreshing  breeze,  sent  from  heaven,  cools 
his  fevered  brow  and  calms  the  accesses  of  his  epileptic 
convulsions.  Then  he  blandly  utters  these  words:  “Ah, 
how  much  wiser  has  Catholicism  showed  itself,  and  what 
an  advantage  has  it  gained  over  all — over  St.  Simonians, 
republicans,  universitarians,  and  economists  —  in  the 
knowledge  of  society  and  of  man!  The  priest  knows 
that  our  life  is  only  a  pilgrimage,  and  that  entire  per¬ 
fection  is  denied  us  in  this  world ;  and  because  he 
knows  this  he  is  satisfied  to  commence  an  education  on 
earth  which  can  be  completed  only  in  heaven.  The 
man  who  has  been  trained  by  religion,  satisfied  with 
knowing,  doing,  and  obtaining  what  is  sufficient  for  this 
life,  will  never  prove  an  obstacle  to  the  powers  of  the 
earth;  he  would  rather  be  a  martyr.  Oh,  beloved  reli¬ 
gion,  by  what  inconceivable  caprice  of  reason  does  it 
happen,  that  those  who  need  thee  most  are  precisely 
those  who  most  obstinately  reject  thee?” 

We  have  already  cursorily  alluded  to  the  reputation 
of  Mr.  Proudhon  for  consistency.  It  now  seems  not 
only  proper,  but  likewise  necessary,  to  say  something 
further  on  this  subject,  which  is  of  much  greater  conse¬ 
quence  than  would  at  first  sight  appear.  The  fact  of 
his  reputation  is  public  and  notorious,  and  for  this  very 
reason  unquestionable.  It  is  nevertheless  altogether 
inexplicable,  if  we  consider  that  Mr.  Proudhon  has  suc¬ 
cessively  adopted  every  system  relating  to  the  Divinity, 
and  that  there  is  no  one  among  the  socialists  so  given 
to  contradictions  as  he  is.  We  must  admit,  therefore, 
that  his  reputation  for  consistency  is  entirely  unfounded. 

17 


186 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


By  what  subterraneous  paths,  by  what  concatenation  of 
subtile  and  labored  deductions  has  the  world,  in  the  face 
of  the  glaring  inconsistency  of  Mr.  Proudhon,  agreed 
to  call  his  contradictions  by  a  term  which  is  their  very 
opposite,  consistency?  Here  is  a  great  problem  to  he 
solved  and  a  great  mystery  to  be  unraveled. 

The  explanation  of  this  problem,  and  the  solving  of 
this  mystery,  are  found  in  the  fact  that  the  theories  of 
Mr.  Proudhon  imply  at  the  same  time  contradiction  and 
consistency;  the  first  being  apparent  and  the  second 
real.  If  we  examine  in  succession  the  fragments  that 
we  have  just  quoted  from  his  works,  and  consider  them 
in  themselves,  and  without  taking  a  more  general  view, 
each  one  of  them  is  the  contradiction  of  that  which  pre¬ 
cedes  a  nd  follows  it,  and  all  are  in  opposition  to  each 
other.  But  if  we  consider  the  rationalist  theory,  from 
which  all  have  their  origin,  it  will  be  seen  that  rational¬ 
ism  is  the  sin  that  most  resembles  original  sin,  being, 
like  it,  an  actual  error,  and  the  productive  cause  of  all 
error.  Consequently  it  embraces  and  comprehends  in 
its  vast  unity  all  errors ;  and  contradictions  form  no  im¬ 
pediment  to  this  union,  for  even  these  antagonisms  are 
susceptible  of  a  certain  kind  of  harmony  and  union, 
where  there  exists  a  supreme  contradiction  which  in¬ 
volves  them  all.  In  the  case  in  question,  rationalism  is 
this  contradiction,  which  comprises  all  the  others  in  its 
supreme  unity.  In  fact,  rationalism  is  at  once  deism, 
pantheism,  humanism,  manicheism,  fatalism,  skepticism, 
and  atheism ;  and,  among  the  rationalists,  he  who  is  at 
the  same  time  deist,  pantheist,  humanist,  manicheist, 
fatalist,  skeptic,  and  atheist,  is  regarded  as  the  most 
consistent. 

These  considerations  serve  to  explain  the  facts  which 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


187 


we  have  noticed  in  this  chapter,  and  which  are  appar¬ 
ently  incongruous.  They  likewise  satisfactorily  explain 
why,  in  place  of  investigating,  one  by  one,  the  various 
systems  of  the  socialist  doctors  respecting  the  Divinity, 
we  have  preferred  to  consider  them  all  as  set  forth  in 
the  writings  of  Mr.  Proudhon,  where  we  find  them  both 
in  their  diversity  and  in  their  connection. 

We  have  seen  what  the  socialists  think  of  Cod;  we 
shall  now  examine  what  they  think  of  man,  and  in  what 
manner  they  interpret  the  fearful  problem  of  good  and 
evil,  considered  in  general,  which  forms  the  subject  of 
this  book. 


CHAPTER  X. 


Continuation  of  the  same  subject— Conclusion  of  this  book. 


No  man  has  been  so  stupid  as  to  dare  deny  the  ex¬ 
istence  of  good  and  evil,  and  their  coexistence  in  his¬ 
tory.  Philosophers  may  dispute  as  to  the  mode  and 
form  under  which  good  and  evil  exist,  but  all  unani¬ 
mously  affirm  their  existence  and  their  coexistence  in 
history  as  an  established  fact.  All  equally  agree  that, 
in  the  contest  which  is  waged  between  good  and  evil, 
the  former  must  ultimately  gain  the  victory  over  the 
latter.  Apart  from  these  well  established  and  admitted 
points,  everything  else  is  a  subject  of  diverse  opinions, 
contradictory  systems,  and  interminable  disputes. 

The  liberal  school  holds  it  as  certain,  that  there  is  no 
evil  except  that  which  results  from  the  political  institu- 


188 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


tions  which  we  have  inherited  from  past  ages,  and  that 
the  supreme  good  consists  in  the  overthrow  of  these 
institutions.  The  greater  number  of  socialists  consider 
it  as  established,  that  there  is  no  other  evil  than  that 
which  exists  in  society,  and  that  the  great  remedy  is  to 
be  found  in  the  complete  subversion  of  social  institu¬ 
tions.  All  agree  that  evil  is  transmitted  to  us  from  past 
ages.  The  liberals  affirm  that  good  may  be  realized 
even  in  the  present  day;  and  the  socialists  assert  that 
this  golden  era  cannot  commence  except  in  times  yet  to 
come. 

Thus,  both  the  one  and  the  other,  placing  the  realiza¬ 
tion  of  the  supreme  good  in  the  entire  destruction  of  the 
present  order — the  political  order,  according  to  the  lib¬ 
eral  school,  and  the  social  order,  according  to  the  social¬ 
ist  schools  —  they  agree  with  regard  to  the  real  and 
intrinsic  goodness  of  man,  who,  they  contend,  must 
necessarily  be  the  intelligent  and  free  agent  in  effecting 
this  subversion.  This  conclusion  has  been  explicitly 
announced  by  the  socialist  schools,  and  it  is  implicitly 
contained  in  the  theory  maintained  by  the  liberals. 
The  conclusion  is  so  far  maintained  in  this  theory  that, 
if  you  deny  the  conclusion,  the  theory  itself  must  fall 
to  the  ground.  In  fact,  the  theory,  according  to  which 
evil  exists  in  man,  and  proceeds  from  man,  contradicts 
that  other  theory,  which  supposes  evil  to  exist  in  polit¬ 
ical  and  social  institutions,  and  to  proceed  from  them. 
If  we  adopt  the  first  hypothesis,  there  would  exist  a 
logical  necessity  to  commence  by  eradicating  evil  from 
the  heart  of  man,  in  order  to  extirpate  it  from  society 
and  the  state.  If  we  adopt  the  second  supposition,  the 
logical  consequence  would  be  the  necessity  of  commenc¬ 
ing  by  eradicating  evil  directly  from  society  or  the  state, 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM.  189 

where  it  has  its  center  and  origin.  From  which  we  see 
that  the  Catholic  and  rationalist  theories  are  not  only 
utterly  incompatible,  but  likewise  antagonistic.  All  sub¬ 
version,  whether  it  be  in  the  political  or  social  order,  is 
condemned  by  the  Catholic  theory  as  foolish  and  useless. 
The  rationalist  theories  condemn  all  moral  reform  in 
man  as  stupid  and  of  no  avail.  And  thus,  the  ones  as 
well  as  the  others  are  consistent  in  their  condemnation; 
because,  if  evil  neither  exists  in  the  state  nor  in  society, 
why  and  wherefore  require  the  overthrow  of  society  and 
of  the  state?  And,  on  the  contrary,  if  evil  neither  ex¬ 
ists  in  individuals  nor  proceeds  from  them,  why  and  for 
what  cause  desire  the  interior  reformation  of  man? 

The  socialist  schools  accept,  without  difficulty,  the 
question  proposed  in  this  manner ;  but  the  liberal  school, 
not  without  grave  reason,  finds  serious  inconvenience  in 
accepting  it.  In  meeting  the  question  as  it  presents 
itself  naturally,  the  liberal  school  would  he  compelled 
to  deny,  with  a  radical  negation,  the  Catholic  theory, 
both  in  itself  and  in  all  its  consequences ;  and  this  is 
what  it  resolutely  refuses  to  do.  Adopting,  at  the  same 
time,  all  principles  and  all  their  counter-principles,  it 
does  not  wish  to  renounce  either  the  one  or  the  other, 
but  is  forever  occupied  in  the  attempt  to  reconcile  all 

contradictorv  theories  and  human  inconsistencies.  Ac- 

•/ 

cording  to  this  school  moral  reforms  are  not  bad,  although 
it  views  political  revolutions  as  most  salutary,  without 
perceiving  that  these  two  things  are  incompatible,  be¬ 
cause  men  who  are  interiorly  purified  cannot  become  the 
agents  of  subversion ;  and  such  agents,  by  the  very  act 
of  their  being  such,  declare  that  they  are  not  interiorly 
purified.  In  this  matter,  as  in  all  others,  a  middle 
ground  between  Catholicism  and  socialism  is  altogether 

17* 


190 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


impossible,  because,  either  man  ought  not  to  think  of 
self-reformation,  or  revolutions  ought  not  to  take  place ; 
for,  if  unreformed  men  assume  the  office  of  revolution¬ 
ists,  then  political  ruin  is  only  the  prelude  to  social 
ruin ;  while  if  men,  in  place  of  undertaking  to  over¬ 
throw  the  state,  would  attempt  to  reform  themselves, 
then  neither  social  nor  political  ruin  would  be  possible. 
Thus,  in  either  case,  the  liberal  school  is  compelled  to 
yield  to  the  conclusions  of  the  socialist  or  to  those  of 
the  Catholic  schools. 

Consequently,  the  socialist  schools  have  logic  and  rea¬ 
son  on  their  side,  in  maintaining  against  the  liberal 
school  that,  if  evil  exists  essentially  in  society  or  in  the 
state,  the  only  remedy  is  the  overthrow  of  society  or  the 
state ;  and,  according  to  this  hypothesis,  it  is  neither 
necessary  nor  proper,  but,  on  the  contrary,  it  is  per¬ 
nicious  and  absurd  to  attempt  to  reform  man. 

If  we  adopt  the  theory  of  the  innate  and  absolute 
goodness  of  man,  then  he  is  the  universal  reformer,  and 
in  no  need  of  being  himself  reformed.  This  view  trans¬ 
forms  man  into  God,  and  he  ceases  to  have  a  human 
nature  and  becomes  divine.  Being  in  himself  absolute 
goodness,  the  effect  produced  by  the  revolutions  he 
creates  must  be  absolute  good ;  and  as  the  chief  good, 
and  cause  of  all  good,  man  must  therefore  be  most  ex¬ 
cellent,  most  wise,  and  most  powerful.  Adoration  is  so 
imperative  a  necessity  for  man,  that  we  find  the  social¬ 
ists,  who  are  atheists,  and  as  such  refusing  to  adore 
God,  making  gods  of  men,  and  in  this  way  inventing  a 
new  form  of  adoration. 

These  being  the  dominant  ideas  of  the  socialist  schools 
with  regard  to  man,  it  is  evident  that  socialism  denies 
his  antithetical  nature  as  a  pure  invention  of  the  Oath- 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM.  191 

olic  school.  For  this  reason,  St.  Simonism  and  Four- 
* 

rierism  do  not  admit  that  man  is  so  constituted  that  the 
understanding  and  will  are  antagonistic ;  nor  do  they 
concede  that  there  is  any  opposition  whatever  between 
the  spirit  and  the  flesh.  The  chief  object  of  St.  Simon¬ 
ism  is  to  practically  prove  the  reconciliation  and  unity 
of  these  two  powerful  energies.  This  perfect  agreement 
was  symbolized  in  the  St.  Simonian  priesthood,  whose 
office  it  was  to  satisfy  the  spirit  by  the  gratification  of 
the  flesh,  and  the  flesh  by  the  gratification  of  the  spirit. 

The  principle  common  to  all  the  socialists,  which  con¬ 
sists  in  replacing  the  vicious  construction  of  society  with 
an  organization  similar  to  that  of  man,  who  is,  according 
to  them,  properly  constituted,  leads  the  St.  Simonians 
to  deny  every  kind  of  political,  scientific,  and  social 
dualism.  And  this  is  a  necessary  negation,  if  we  sup¬ 
pose  the  denial  of  the  antithetical  nature  of  man. 
Having  proclaimed  the  reconciliation  between  the  flesh 
and  the  spirit,  they  then  announce  the  universal  agree¬ 
ment  and  reconciliation  of  all  things ;  and  as  there  can 
be  no  agreement  and  reconciliation  except  in  unity, 
therefore  universal  unity  becomes  a  consequence  of  hu¬ 
man  unity,  from  which  results  a  political,  social,  and 
religious  pantheism ;  and  this  constitutes  the  ideal  des¬ 
potism,  which  all  the  socialist  schools  ardently  desire. 
The  common  father  of  the  school  of  St.  Simon,  and  the 
high  priest  of  the  school  of  Fourrier,  are  its  most  august 
and  glorious  personifications. 

Returning  to  the  contemplation  of  the  nature  of  man, 
which  is  our  special  study  for  the  present,  we  find  that 
the  socialists,  affirming  man’s  unity  on  one  side,  and  on 
the  other  his  absolute  goodness,  proceed  to  proclaim  man 
holy  and  divine ;  and  this  not  only  in  his  unity,  but  like- 


192 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


wise  in  each  and  all  of  the  elements  which  constitute  it ; 
and  they  thereby  proclaim  the  sanctity  and  divinity  of 
the  passions.  For  this  reason,  all  the  socialist  schools, 
some  implicitly  and  others  explicitly,  declare  the  divin¬ 
ity  and  sanctity  of  the  passions.  From  this  admission 
must  result  the  explicit  condemnation  of  all  repressive 
and  penal  systems,  and  above  all  the  condemnation  of 
virtue,  whose  function  is  to  arrest  the  progress  of  the 
passions,  to  restrain  their  explosion,  and  repress  their 
efforts.  All  these  consequences  of  anterior  principles, 
and  which  in  their  turn  become  principles  leading  to 
more  remote  consequences,  are  both  taught  and  an¬ 
nounced,  with  a  greater  or  less  degree  of  cynicism,  by 
all  the  socialist  schools,  among  which  are  conspicuous 
those  of  St.  Simon  and  of  Fourrier,  which  shine  with  a 
greater  brilliancy  than  the  others,  like  two  suns  in  a 
starry  sky.  This  is  what  is  meant  by  the  St.  Simonian 
theory  respecting  the  restoration  of  woman  and  the  paci¬ 
fication  of  the  flesh.  This  is  the  signification  of  Four- 
rier’s  doctrine  of  attraction.  Fourrier  says:  “Duty 
proceeds  from  man  (understood  to  mean  society)  and 
attraction  comes  from  God.”  Madam  de  Coeslin,  as 
quoted  by  Mr.  Louis  Raybaud,  in  his  Reflections  upon 
Cotemporaneous  Reformers ,  has  expressed  the  same 
thought  with  greater  precision,  in  these  words:  “The 
passions  are  of  divine,  the  virtues  of  human  institution;” 
which  means,  according  to  the  assumed  principles  of  the 
school,  that  the  virtues  are  pernicious  and  the  passions 
are  salutary.  For  this  reason  the  supreme  end  of  so¬ 
cialism  is  to  create  a  new  social  order,  in  which  the 
passions  will  have  free  scope,  and  which  is  to  be  inaugu¬ 
rated  by  the  destruction  of  the  political,  religious,  and 
social  institutions  which  restrain  them.  The  golden  era 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


193 


announced  by  the  poets,  and  expected  by  the  world,  will 
commence  when  this  great  event  takes  place,  and  when 
this  magnificent  aurora  dawns  upon  the  horizon.  Then 
the  earth  will  become  a  paradise,  whose  gates  will  stand 
ever  open,  and,  not  like  the  Catholic  paradise,  a  prison 
guarded  by  an  angel.  Then  evil  will  disappear  from 
the  earth,  which,  until  that  time,  will  be  a  valley  of 
tears,  but  which  is  not  condemned  to  be  so  forever. 

Such  are  the  socialist  opinions  concerning  good  and 
evil,  God  and  man.  I  am  sure  that  my  readers  will  not 
require  that  I  should  follow  the  socialist  schools,  step 
by  step,  through  all  the  intricacies  of  their  disturbing 
speculations.  This  will  be  the  less  expected,  as  I  have 
already  virtually  refuted  them,  by  presenting  the  august 
simplicity  of  the  Catholic  doctrine  on  all  these  great 
questions.  Nevertheless,  I  believe  it  to  be  a  sacred 
and  imperative  duty  to  demolish  this  edifice  of  error, 
and  for  this  purpose  it  will  be  sufficient,  and  more  than 
sufficient,  to  advance  one  single  argument. 

Society  may  be  considered  under  two  different  points 
of  view — the  Catholic  and  the  pantheistic.  Viewed 
under  the  Catholic  aspect,  it  is  only  the  reunion  of  a 
multitude  of  men,  who  all  live  in  obedience  to,  and 
under  the  protection  of,  the  same  laws  and  institutions. 
According  to  the  pantheistic  view,  it  is  an  organism 
which  has  an  individual,  concrete,  and  necessary  exist¬ 
ence.  According  to  the  first  supposition,  it  is  evident 
that  society,  having  no  existence  independent  of  the 
individuals  who  constitute  it,  there  can  be  nothing  in 
the  society  which  did  not  previously  exist  in  the  indi¬ 
vidual  members  of  it ;  therefore,  all  good  and  evil  in 
society  must  come  from  man.  Regarded  in  this  aspect, 
it  is  absurd  to  attempt  to  extirpate  evil  from  society 


194 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


where  it  incidentally  exists,  without  any  reference  to 
the  individuals  through  whom  it  originally  and  essen¬ 
tially  exists.  According  to  the  second  supposition,  so¬ 
ciety  has  a  self-sustaining,  concrete,  individual,  and 
necessary  existence.  Those  who  assert  this  must  sat¬ 
isfactorily  solve  the  same  questions  that  the  rational¬ 
ists  propose  to  the  Catholics  respecting  man :  that  is, 
whether  society  is  essentially  or  accidentally  evil.  If  we 
assume  the  first,  how  is  essential  evil  to  be  explained  ? 
If  the  second,  how,  in  what  way,  under  what  circum¬ 
stances,  and  upon  what  occasion  has  the  social  harmony 
been  disturbed  by  these  incidental  perturbations?  We 
have  already  seen  how~  the  Catholics  unravel  these  com¬ 
plications,  with  what  success  they  solve  all  these  diffi¬ 
culties,  and  in  what  manner  they  answer  all  these  ques¬ 
tions  respecting  the  existence  of  evil,  considered  as  a 
consequence  of  the  human  prevarication.  That  which 
wre  have  not  yet  seen,  and  which  wTe  shall  never  see,  is 
the  success  of  socialist  rationalism  in  solving  these  same 
questions  respecting  the  existence  of  evil,  considered  as 
existing  only  in  social  institutions. 

This  single  reason  would  be  sufficient  to  authorize  the 
assertion,  that  the  socialist  theory  is  that  of  charlatans, 
and  socialism  only  the  social  reason  of  a  set  of  clowns. 
Not  to  exceed  the  strict  limits  within  which  I  have  pro¬ 
posed  to  confine  myself,  I  will  close  this  discussion  by 
presenting  this  dilemma  for  a  socialist  solution.  Ac¬ 
cording  to  socialist  doctrine,  the  evil  which  exists  in 
society  is  either  essential  or  accidental.  If  it  is  essen¬ 
tial,  it  is  not  sufficient,  in  order  to  eradicate  it,  to  over¬ 
throw  social  institutions ;  but  it  is  likewise  necessary  to 
destroy  society  itself,  since  this  is  the  essence  which  pro¬ 
duces  evil  in  its  various  forms.  But,  if  social  evil  is 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


195 


accidental,  then  you  must  do  what  you  have  not  done, 
what  you  do  not  nor  cannot  do;  you  must  explain  when 
and  how,  in  what  manner,  and  under  what  form  this 
accident  has  occurred;  and  then  you  must  show  through 
what  series  of  deductions  you  can  succeed  in  converting 
man  into  the  redeemer  of  society,  and  in  investing  him 
with  power  to  wash  away  its  corruption  and  sin.  With 
this  view,  it  will  be  well  to  remind  the  incautious,  who 
may  be  attracted  by  these  declamatory  assertions,  that 
the  rationalism  which  attacks  with  fury  all  the  Catholic 
mysteries,  afterwards  proclaims  these  very  mysteries  in 
a  different  manner  and  with  another  design.  Catholi¬ 
cism  affirms  two  things — the  existence  of  evil  and  the 
redemption.  These  affirmations  are  also  equally  in¬ 
cluded  in  the  symbol  of  social  rationalism.  There  is 
on  this  point  only  this  difference  between  socialists  and 
Catholics :  the  Catholics  affirm  that  evil  comes  from 
man,  and  redemption  from  God ;  the  socialists  affirm 
that  evil  comes  from  society,  and  redemption  from  man. 
The  two  affirmations  of  Catholicism  are  sensible  and 
natural,  namely,  that  man  is  man,  and  performs  human 
works,  and  that  God  is  God,  and  performs  divine  acts. 
The  two  affirmations  of  socialism  assert  that  man  under¬ 
stands  and  executes  the  designs  of  God,  and  that  so¬ 
ciety  performs  the  works  proper  to  man.  What,  then, 
does  human  reason  gain  when  it  rejects  Catholicism  for 
socialism  ?  Does  it  not  refuse  to  receive  that  which  is 
evident  and  mysterious,  in  order  to  accept  that  which  is 
at  once  mysterious  and  absurd  ? 

Our  refutation  of  socialist  theories  would  not  be  com¬ 
plete  if  we  did  not  allude  to  the  attacks  of  Mr.  Proudhon 
upon  his  opponents,  which  are  alternately  replete  with 
argument,  sarcasm,  and  eloquence. 


196  ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 

Here  is  what  Mr.  Proudhon  thinks  of  the  harmonious 
nature  of  man,  as  announced  by  St.  Simon  and  Four- 
rier,  and  of  the  future  transformation  of  the  earth  into 
a  garden  of  delights,  as  announced  by  all  the  socialists: 
“Man,  considered  in  the  combination  of  his  manifesta¬ 
tions,  and  after  all  his  antagonisms  have  been  met, 
presents,  nevertheless,  one  contradiction  which  cannot 
be  referred  to  anything  which  exists  on  the  earth,  and 
must  remain  without  any  solution  whatever,  here  below. 
For  this  reason,  no  matter  how  perfect  the  order  of  so¬ 
ciety  may  be,  it  can  never  be  entirely  exempt  from  all 
sorrow  and  weariness.  Felicity  in  this  world  is  a  chi¬ 
mera,  which  we  are  perpetually  condemned  to  pursue, 
and  which  the  invincible  antagonism  between  the  flesh 
and  the  spirit  ever  places  beyond  our  reach.”*  Now 
mark  the  following  sarcasm  against  the  natural  excel¬ 
lence  of  man:  “The  greatest  obstacle  that  equality  has 
to  overcome  is  not  in  the  aristocratic  pride  of  the  rich, 
but  in  the  unconquerable  egotism  of  the  poor ;  and  yet, 
in  spite  of  this,  you  dare  to  depend  upon  the  innate 
goodness  of  man,  in  order  to  reform  both  the  spontaneity 
and  the  premeditation  of  his  malice.”f  His  sarcasm  is 
still  more  pungent  in  the  following  words,  taken  from 
the  same  chapter  of  the  same  work:  “Truly,  the  logic 
of  socialism  is  astonishing;  .  .  they  tell  us  that  man  is 
good,  but  that  it  is  necessary  that  he  should  have  no 
interest  in  doing  evil,  in  order  that  he  should  abstain 
from  evil ;  and  we  are  told  that  man  is  good,  but  that 
it  is  necessary  that  it  should  be  to  his  advantage  to  do 
good,  in  order  that  he  should  practice  it.  For,  if  it  is 
the  interest  of  his  passions  that  he  should  do  evil,  he 


*  System  of  Contradictions,  ch.  x. 


f  Ibid.  ch.  viii. 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


197 


will  do  evil ;  and  if  it  is  of  no  advantage  to  him  to  do 
good,  he  will  not  do  good.  This  being  the  case,  society 
has  no  right  to  condemn  man  if  he  listens  to  his  pas¬ 
sions,  because  it  is  the  duty  of  society  to  lead  man  by 
means  of  his  passions.  How  excellent  was  the  nature 
of  Nero,  and  how  gifted !  What  an  artist’s  soul  had 
Heliogabalus,  who  reduced  prostitution  to  a  system ! 
And  as  to  Tiberius,  how  great  and  energetic  was  his 
character  !  But  what  a  corrupt  society  which  perverted 
these  divine  souls,  and  which,  notwithstanding,  produced 
a  Tacitus  and  a  Marcus  Aurelius !  And  this  is  what  is 
called  the  innate  goodness  of  man  and  the  sanctity  of 
his  passions.  An  old  Sappho,  in  the  decay  of  her 
beauty,  and  abandoned  by  her  lovers,  consents  to  re¬ 
ceive  the  yoke  of  marriage.  Being  no  longer  interested 
in  love,  she  resigns  herself  to  matrimony,  and  then  they 
call  this  woman  holy!  What  a  great  misfortune  that 
this  word  holy  has  not  the  twofold  meaning  in  the 
French  that  it  has  in  the  Hebrew  language — then  every 
one  would  agree  as  to  the  sanctity  of  Sappho.”  Again, 
his  sarcasm  assumes  that  form  of  brutal  eloquence,  which 
might  be  called  the  Proudhonian  style.  In  the  same 
work,  (chapter  xii.,)  Mr.  Proudhon  expresses  himself  in 
this  manner:  “Let  us  hastily  pass  over  these  systems 
of  St.  Simon  and  Fourrier,  and  all  others  of  a  similar 
nature,  whose  authors  proclaim  aloud  in  the  streets  and 
public  places  that  free  love  is  united  in  felicitous  bonds 
with  the  purest  modesty,  delicacy,  and  spirituality;  sad 
illusion  of  a  degraded  socialism — last  dream  of  the  de¬ 
lirium  of  debauch !  Let  inconstancy  give  free  license 
to  passion,  and  then  will  the  flesh  tyrannize  over  the 
spirit ;  then  will  love  become  only  the  vile  instrument 

18 


198 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


of  pleasure,  and  the  union  of  hearts  is  succeeded  bj  sen¬ 
sual  desires,  and . In  order  to  form  an  opinion 

of  such  things,  it  is  not  necessary  to  have  roamed,  like 
St.  Simon,  through  the  haunts  of  infamy.” 

After  having  exposed  and  refuted  the  socialist  theories 
in  general,  respecting  the  problems  which  form  the  sub¬ 
ject  of  this  book,  it  only  remains  to  explain  and  refute 
the  theory  of  Mr.  Proudhon,  in  order  to  close  this  long 
and  complicated  discussion.  Mr.  Proudhon  explains  his 
doctrine  briefly  but  fully  in  chapter  viii.  of  the  work  we 
have  just  cited,  in  the  following  words:  “The  education 
of  liberty,  the  subjection  of  our  instincts,  the  freeing  or 
redemption  of  our  soul,  this  is  the  signification,  as  Less¬ 
ing  has  shown,  of  the  Christian  mystery,  rightly  inter¬ 
preted.  This  education  will  last  as  long  as  our  life  and 
that  of  mankind.  Moses,  Budha,  Jesus  Christ,  and 
Zoroaster,  were  all  apostles  of  expiation,  and  living  sym¬ 
bols  of  penance.  Man  is  by  nature  a  sinner,  which  does 
not  precisely  mean  that  he  is  evil,  but  rather  that  he  is 
imperfectly  formed.  His  destiny  is  to  be  forever  occu¬ 
pied  in  re-creating  his  ideal  within  himself.” 

In  this  profession  of  faith  there  is  a  portion  of  both 
the  Catholic  and  socialist  theories,  and  also  something 
of  what  belongs  to  neither,  and  which  constitutes  the 
individuality  of  the  Proudhonian  theory. 

The  Catholic  element  consists  in  the  recognition  of 
the  existence  of  evil  and  of  sin,  in  the  confession  that 
sin  is  in  man  and  not  in  society,  and  that  evil  does  not 
come  from  society  but  from  man,  and  lastly,  in  the  ex¬ 
plicit  acknowledgment  of  the  necessity  of  redemption 
and  repentance. 

The  socialist  element  is  found  in  the  affirmation  that 
man  is  the  redeemer ;  while  that  which  constitutes  the 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


199 


individuality  of  the  Proudhonian  theory  consists,  on  the 
one  hand,  in  this  principle,  (which  contradicts  the  so¬ 
cialist  theory,)  that  man  the  redeemer  does  not  reform 
society  except  as  he  reforms  himself ;  and  on  the  other 
hand,  in  asserting  (contrary  to  the  Catholic  theory)  that 
man  did  not  make  himself  evil,  hut  that  he  was  imper¬ 
fectly  created.  Setting  aside  what  this  theory  possesses 
in  conformity  with  the  Catholic,  and  also  with  the  so¬ 
cialist  view,  I  shall  examine  it  in  those  points  wherein 
it  differs  from  both,  and  in  virtue  of  which  it  is  neither 
socialist  nor  Catholic,  but  exclusively  Proudhonian. 

The  peculiarity  of  this  theory  consists  in  its  assertion 
that  man  is  a  sinner  only  because  he  has  been  created 
imperfect.  In  accordance  with  this  supposition,  Mr. 
Proudhon  has  given  a  striking  proof  of  good  sense  and 
sound  logic,  in  seeking  the  Redeemer  apart  from  the 
Creator,  because  it  is  evident  that  he  who  has  imper¬ 
fectly  created  us  could  not  properly  redeem  us.  Since 
God,  then,  could  not  be  the  Redeemer,  and  a  redeemer 
being  necessary,  the  redemption  must  necessarily  come 
either  from  man  or  from  angels.  Being  doubtful  of  the 
existence  of  the  angel,  and  certain  of  the  necessity  of 
redemption,  and  not  knowing  whom  to  select  for  this 
office,  Mr.  Proudhon  has  assigned  it  to  man,  who  is  at 
the  same  time  a  sinner  and  the  expiator  of  his  sin. 

There  is  a  fitting  connection  and  agreement  between 
all  these  propositions,  and  their  only  weak  point  is  in 
the  fact  upon  which  they  rest,  because  man  has  either 
been  created  perfect  or  imperfect.  If  we  admit  the  first 
supposition,  the  theory  is  erroneous ;  and  if  we  admit 
the  second,  the  following  reasoning  may  be  deduced:  If 
man  is  imperfectly  formed,  and  is  nevertheless  his  own 
redeemer,  there  is  a  manifest  contradiction  between  his 


200 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


nature  and  the  function  ascribed  to  him ;  because,  how¬ 
ever  imperfect  the  constitution  of  man,  if  he  is  so  formed 
that  he  can  improve  the  work  of  his  Creator  to  such  a 
degree  as  to  become  his  own  saviour,  far  from  being  an 
imperfectly  constituted  creature,  he  is  the  most  perfect 
of  created  beings ;  for,  how  can  we  imagine  a  higher 
perfection  than  that  which  consists  in  the  faculty  of 
blotting  out  all  our  sins,  of  correcting  all  our  imperfec¬ 
tions,  and,  to  express  all  in  one  word,  of  redeeming 
ourselves  ?  Now,  if  man,  whatever  his  imperfections, 
is,  by  the  very  fact  of  his  being  his  own  redeemer,  a 
perfect  being,  to  affirm  of  him  that  he  was  created  im¬ 
perfect,  and  yet  is  his  own  redeemer,  is  equivalent  to 
affirming  what  is  denied,  and  to  denying  what  is  affirmed; 
because  it  is  affirming  at  the  same  time  that  he  has  been 
created  both  perfect  and  imperfect.  And,  let  it  not  be 
said  that  man’s  imperfection  comes  from  God,  and  his 
highest  perfection  of  self-redemption  comes  from  him¬ 
self;  because  to  this  we  answer,  that  man  could  never 
become  his  own  redeemer  if  he  had  not  been  created 
with  the  faculty  of  attaining  so  great  an  eminence,  or 
at  least  with  the  power  of  acquiring  this  faculty  in  the 
course  of  time.  It  is  necessary  to  admit  one  of  these 
two  things,  and,  in  this  matter,  to  yield  a  part  is  to  con¬ 
cede  all;  because  if  man,  from  the  period  of  his  crea¬ 
tion,  was  potentially  his  own  redeemer,  before  being  so 
actually,  this  power,  in  spite  of  all  his  imperfections, 
constituted  him  a  perfect  being.  The  Proudhonian 
theory  is,  therefore,  but  a  contradiction  of  terms. 

The  conclusion  to  be  drawn  from  all  that  has  been 
said  is,  that  there  is  no  school  whatever  which  does  not 
recognize  the  simultaneous  existence  of  good  and  evil, 
and  that  Catholicism  alone  satisfactorily  explains  the 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


201 


nature  and  origin  of  both,  and  also  their  various  and 
complicated  effects.  Catholicism  teaches  us  that  there 
is  no  good  whatever  which  does  not  come  to  us  from 
God,  and  that  all  which  comes  from  God  is  good.  It 
teaches  us  in  what  manner  evil  commenced  with  the  first 
aberration  of  the  angelical  and  the  human  liberty;  and 
how,  from  being  obedient  and  submissive,  they  became 
rebellious  and  disloyal;  and  in  what  way  and  to  what 
extent  these  two  great  prevarications  change  everything 
by  their  influence  and  ravages.  Finally,  it  teaches  us 
that  good  is  in  its  nature  eternal  because  it  is  essential, 
and  that  evil  is  transitory  because  it  is  accidental;  from 
which  it  follows  that  good  is  neither  subject  to  change 
nor  decay,  and  that  evil  may  be  blotted  out  and  the  sin¬ 
ner  redeemed.  Reserving  for  future  consideration  the 
investigation  of  those  great  and  supreme  mysteries 
whose  wonderful  virtue  has  extirpated  evil  in  its  source, 
we  have  limited  ourselves  in  this  book  to  exhibiting  the 
sovereign  art  and  consummate  skill  which  God  has  dis¬ 
played,  in  converting  the  effects  of  original  sin  into  con¬ 
stituent  elements  of  a  higher  good  and  a  more  perfect 
order.  With  this  view  we  have  explained  in  what  man¬ 
ner  good  proceeds  from  evil  through  the  power  of  God, 
after  having  explained  in  what  manner  evil  proceeds 
from  good  through  the  fault  of  man;  and  this  without 
the  human  action  and  divine  reaction  implying  any 
rivalry  whatever  between  beings  who  are  separated  by 
an  infinite  distance. 

In  regard  to  the  rationalist  schools,  the  examination 
of  their  various  systems  only  serves  to  prove  their  pro¬ 
found  ignorance  in  all  that  relates  to  these  high  ques¬ 
tions.  As  to  the  liberal  school,  its  ignorance  is  pro- 

18* 


202 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


verbial  among  those  who  are  well  informed.  It  is 
essentially  antitheological  in  being  laical;  and  because 
it  is  antitheological  it  is  impotent  to  give  any  great  im¬ 
pulsion  to  civilization;  for  every  form  of  civilization  is 
only  the  reflection  of  a  theology.  The  proper  office  of 
the  liberal  school  is  to  falsify  all  principles,  by  capri¬ 
ciously  and  absurdly  combining  them  with  others  which 
contradict  them.  They  imagine  to  attain,  in  this  way, 
an  equilibrium,  while  they  simply  arrive  at  confusion. 
They  think  to  acquire  peace,  and  they  go  to  war.  But 
as  it  is  impossible  to  escape  altogether  the  authority  of 
theology,  the  liberal  school  is  less  laic  than  it  imagines, 
and  it  is  more  theological  than  it  appears  to  be  at  first 
sight.  Thus  the  question  of  good  and  evil  (which  is  of 
all  others  that  can  be  imagined  the  most  theological)  is 
defined  and  solved  by  its  doctors,  though  in  a  way  which 
proves  how  ignorant  they  are  of  the  art  of  defining  and 
resolving  this  question.  In  the  first  place,  they  set 
aside  the  question  respecting  evil  in  itself — the  evil  that 
is  the  root  of  all  other  evil — in  order  to  occupy  them¬ 
selves  only  with  certain  forms  of  evil,  as  if  it  were  pos¬ 
sible  that  he  who  is  ignorant  of  what  evil  is  should  un¬ 
derstand  any  particular  forms  of  evil.  In  the  second 
place,  they  specify  the  remedy  as  they  have  specified 
the  evil,  and  discover  it  only  in  certain  political  forms, 
not  knowing  that  these  forms,  as  reason  teaches  and 
history  proves,  are  altogether  non-essential.  Placing 
evil  where  it  does  not  exist,  and  the  remedy  where  it  is 
not  to  be  found,  the  liberal  school  has  withdrawn  the 
question  from  its  true  point  of  view,  and  has  thereby 
introduced  confusion  and  disorder  in  the  intellectual 
world*  Its  ephemeral  rule  has  been  fatal  to  human 
society,  and  during  its  transitory  reign  the  dissolving 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


203 


principle  of  discussion  Las  been  ruinous  to  the  good 
sense  of  the  people.  In  this  condition  of  society  there 
is  no  convulsion  that  is  not  to  be  feared,  no  catastrophe 
that  may  not  take  place,  no  revolutions  that  are  not  in¬ 
evitable. 

As  regards  the  socialist  schools  they  show,  in  the 
manner  of  presenting  questions,  their  superiority  over 
the  liberal  school,  which  has  not  the  slightest  ability  to 
resist  them.  Essentially  theological,  they  are  enabled 
to  measure  the  utmost  depths  of  the  abysses;  nor  are 
they  wanting  in  a  certain  grandeur  in  their  mode  of 
presenting  problems  and  proposing  their  solution.  But 
when  we  consider  them  more  carefully,  and  enter  into 
the  intricate  labyrinth  of  their  contradictory  solutions,  we 
discover  their  radical  weakness,  however  well  disguised 
it  may  be  by  imposing  appearances.  The  socialist  sect¬ 
aries  resemble  the  pagan  philosophers,  whose  systems 
of  theology  and  cosmogony  are  a  monstrous  combina¬ 
tion  of  disfigured  and  mutilated  biblical  traditions  and 
untenable  hypotheses.  This  apparent  grandeur  arises 
from  the  atmosphere  which  surrounds  them,  and  which 
is  impregnated  with  Catholic  influences;  while  their 
contradictions  and  weakness  proceed  from  their  igno¬ 
rance  of  dogmas,  their  forgetfulness  of  traditions,  and 
their  contempt  of  the  Church,  which  is  the  universal 
depository  of  Catholic  dogmas  and  Christian  traditions. 
Like  our  dramatists  of  a  former  age,  who,  confounding 
everything,  grotesquely  but  ingeniously  placed  in  the 
mouth  of  Cesar  discourses  worthy  of  the  Cid,  and  caused 
their  Moorish  chiefs  to  utter  sentiments  worthy  of  Chris¬ 
tian  knights,  so  the  socialists  of  the  present  day  are 
perpetually  occupied  in  giving  a  rationalist  meaning  to 
Catholic  formulas;  thus  exhibiting  less  genius  than  sim- 


204 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


plicity,  and  often  showing  themselves  less  malicious  than 
candid. 

There  is  nothing  less  Catholic  nor  less  rationalistic 
than  to  seize  upon  the  rationalist  and  Catholic  theories, 
taking  from  the  former  its  ideas  with  all  its  contradic¬ 
tions,  and  from  the  latter  its  forms  with  all  their  magnif¬ 
icence.  As  to  Catholicism,  it  will  never  consent  to  such 
scandalous  proceedings,  such  shameful  confusion,  and 
such  unworthy  spoliation.  Catholicism  is  capable  of 
demonstrating,  that  it  alone  is  based  upon  principles  ade¬ 
quate  to  solve  all  political,  social,  and  religious  problems; 
that  it  alone  possesses  the  secret  of  all  great  solutions; 
that  it  is  useless  to  admit  it  in  part  and  to  deny  it  in 
part,  or  to  make  use  of  its  expressions  in  order  to  cover 
the  nakedness  of  other  doctrines ;  that  there  is  no  other 
good  and  no  other  evil  than  that  which  it  indicates;  that 
things  cannot  be  explained  except  as  it  explains  them; 
that  the  God  it  affirms  is  the  only  true  God;  that  man, 
as  defined  by  it,  is  the  only  true  man ;  that  humanity  is 
precisely  what  it  proclaims  it  to  be,  and  not  otherwise ; 
that  when  it  affirms  of  men  that  they  are  brethren, 
equal  and  free,  it  at  the  same  time  explains  how  they 
are  so,  in  what  manner,  and  to  what  degree ;  that  its 
words  have  been  adapted  to  its  ideas,  and  its  ideas  sup¬ 
port  its  words ;  that  it  is  necessary  to  proclaim  Catholic 
liberty,  equality,  and  fraternity,  or  to  deny  all  these 
things  as  well  as  their  names;  that  the  dogma  of  re¬ 
demption  is  exclusively  a  Catholic  dogma;  that  it  alone 
teaches  us  by  whom  and  for  whom  redemption  was  ef¬ 
fected,  and  the  name  of  the  Redeemer  and  of  the  re¬ 
deemed;  that  to  accept  its  dogmas,  in  order  to  mutilate 
them,  is  the  act  of  a  charlatan  and  a  piece  of  low  buf¬ 
foonery;  that  he  who  is  not  with  it  is  against  it;  that 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


205 


it  is  the  supreme  affirmation,  and  that  nothing  hut  an 
absolute  negation  can  he  opposed  to  it. 

In  this  way  is  the  question  defined  between  rational¬ 
ists  and  Catholics.  Man  is  sovereignly  free,  and  being 
free  he  can  accept  either  purely  Catholic  or  purely 
rationalist  solutions;  he  may  affirm  all  or  deny  all;  he 
may  either  save  himself  or  lose  himself;  but  what  man 
cannot  do  is  to  change  the  immutable  nature  of  things 
by  his  will.  Nor  can  he  find  peace  in  eclecticism,  either 
socialist  or  liberalist.  To  have  the  right  of  denying 
anything,  socialists  and  liberals  are  obliged  to  deny  all. 
Catholicism,  humanly  considered,  is  only  great  because 
it  is  the  combination  of  all  possible  affirmations ;  and  if 
liberalism  and  socialism  are  feeble,  it  is  because  they 
jumble  together  various  Catholic  affirmations  and  vari¬ 
ous  rationalistic  negations ;  and  instead  of  being  schools 
which  contradict  Catholicism,  they  are  simply  schools 
differing  from  it. 

The  socialists  appear  bold  in  their  negations  only 
when  we  compare  them  with  the  liberalists,  who  see  in 
each  affirmation  a  difficulty  and  in  each  negation  a  dan¬ 
ger.  But  the  timidity  of  the  socialists  strikes  us  at 
once  if  we  compare  them  with  the  Catholic  school.  For 
then  we  perceive  with  what  confidence  the  latter  affirms, 
and  with  what  timidity  the  former  deny.  What!  you 
call  yourselves  the  apostles  of  a  new  gospel,  and  speak 
to  us  about  evil  and  sin,  redemption  and  grace,  things 
which  are  all  found  in  the  old  gospel!  You  claim  to  be 
the  depositaries  of  a  new  political,  social,  and  religious 
science,  and  yet  speak  to  us  of  liberty,  equality,  and 
fraternity,  things  all  as  old  as  Catholicism,  which  is  as 
old  as  the  world !  He  who  has  declared  that  he  would 
exalt  the  lowly  and  humble  the  proud,  has  fulfilled  his 


206  ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM,  ETC. 

word  in  your  case ;  for  he  has  condemned  you  to  be 
only  the  blind  expounders  of  his  immortal  gospel,  by  the 
very  fact  of  your  aspiring,  with  a  wild  and  foolish  am¬ 
bition,  to  promulgate  a  new  law  from  a  new  Sinai,  but 
not  from  a  new  Calvary! 


BOOK  III. 


PROBLEMS  AND  SOLUTIONS  RESPECTING  ORDER  IN 

HUMANITY. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Transmission  of  sin— Dogma  of  imputation. 

The  sin  of  the  first  man  sufficiently  explains  the  great 
disorder  and  formidable  confusion  into  which  all  things 
fell  soon  after  their  creation :  a  disorder  and  confusion 
which  was  changed,  as  we  have  seen,  without  things 
ceasing  to  be  what  they  were,  into  elements  of  a  higher 
order  and  harmony;  through  that  secret  and  incom¬ 
municable  virtue  which  is  in  God,  and  by  which  order  is 
brought  out  of  disorder,  harmony  out  of  confusion,  good 
out  of  evil,  by  a  pure  act  of  God’s  sovereign  will.  But 
sin  does  not  adequately  explain  the  perpetuity  and  con¬ 
stancy  of  that  primitive  confusion  which  yet  subsists  in 
all  things,  and  particularly  in  man. 

In  order  to  explain  the  continuance  of  effects,  it  is 
necessary  to  suppose  the  continuance  of  the  cause;  and 
in  order  to  explain  the  duration  of  the  cause,  it  is  essential 
to  suppose  the  perpetual  transmission  of  the  offense. 

The  dogma  of  the  transmission  of  sin,  with  all  its  con¬ 
sequences,  is  one  of  the  most  fearful,  incomprehensible, 
and  obscure  of  the  mysteries  which  have  been  taught  by 
divine  revelation.  This  sentence  of  condemnation  passed 

in  the  person  of  Adam,  against  all  the  generations  of 

(207) 


208  ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 

men,  past,  present,  and  future,  even  to  the  consumma¬ 
tion  of  time,  is  not  to  the  human  understanding,  at  first 
sight,  compatible  with  the  justice  of  God,  and  much  less 

with  his  inexhaustible  mercy. 

%/ 

At  first  sight,  and  upon  a  slight  examination,  any  one 
might  pronounce  this  to  be  a  dogma  taken  from  those 
inexorable  and  gloomy  religions  of  the  East,  whose 
idols  delight  in  hearing  lamentations,  in  the  sight  of 
blood,  and  whose  voices  breathe  only  anathemas  and 
vengeance.  The  living  God,  in  the  act  of  revealing  him¬ 
self  to  us  in  this  tremendous  dogma,  seems  not  to  re¬ 
semble  the  merciful  and  clement  God  of  the  Christians, 
but  appears  rather  like  the  Moloch  of  idolatrous  nations, 
whose  insatiable  cruelty  is  not  appeased  by  offerings  of 
the  firstlings  of  the  flock,  but  whose  barbaric  grandeur 
demands  the  immolation  of  the  successive  generations  of 
mankind.  Wherefore  are  we  punished,  ask  all  the  na¬ 
tions  converted  to  God,  if  we  have  not  been  guilty  ? 

When  we  examine  this  question  fully  and  directly,  it 
will  not  be  difficult  to  demonstrate  the  entire  congruity 
of  this  profound  mystery.  We  ought  previously  to  ob¬ 
serve  that  the  very  persons  who  deny  the  transmission 
of  sin  as  a  revealed  dogma,  are  compelled  to  acknowl¬ 
edge  that  even  when  this  article  is  considered  entirely 
distinct  from  what  we  hold  as  of  faith,  yet  the  same  end 
is  attained,  however  different  the  ways  of  treating  the 
subject  may  be. 

Even  if  we  concede  that  sin  and  its  penalty,  being 
personal,  are  intransmissible,  after  making  this  conces¬ 
sion  we  can  still  prove  that  what  this  dogma  asserts 
remains. 

In  effect,  in  whatever  way  we  may  consider  this  sub¬ 
ject,  the  result  will  always  be,  that  we  must  admit  that 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM.  209 

sin  produces,  in  those  who  commit  it,  ravages  and 
changes  so  radical  as  to  physically  and  morally  alter 
their  primitive  nature.  When  this  happens,  man,  trans¬ 
mitting  necessarily  all  that  he  constitutionally  has,  there¬ 
fore  transmits  to  his  children,  through  generation,  his 
constitutional  conditions.  For  example,  when  the  unre¬ 
strained  indulgence  of  anger  becomes  the  cause  of  a 
malady  in  the  person  addicted  to  this  passion,  and  this 
infirmity  becomes  constitutional  and  organic,  it  is  evi¬ 
dent  and  natural  that  this  person  will  transmit  to  his 
children,  by  means  of  generation,  the  constitutional  and 
organic  evil  from  which  he  suffers.  This  constitutional 
and  organic  evil,  if  we  view  it  under  its  physical  aspect, 
is  simply  a  malady ;  but  considered  under  a  moral  aspect, 
it  becomes  a  predisposition  of  the  flesh  to  subjugate  the 
spirit  by  means  of  the  passion  which  caused  the  infirmity. 
Who  can  doubt  that  the  prevarication  of  Adam,  which 
exceeded  all  others,  must  have  changed,  and  did  change, 
in  a  radical  manner,  his  moral  and  physical  constitution  ? 
This  being  so,  it  is  clear  that  Adam  transmitted  to  us 
through  his  blood  the  organic  vice  produced  by  sin,  and 
the  predisposition  to  commit  sin,  as  a  consequence  of 
this  vice. 

It  follows  from  this,  that  it  is  in  vain  to  deny  the 
dogma  of  the  transmission  of  sin,  if  those  who  make 
this  denial  do  not  at  the  same  time  deny  what  they  can¬ 
not  refuse  to  receive  without  being  utterly  devoid  of 
sense,  namely,  that  sin,  when  it  is  great,  has  a  sensible 
effect  upon  the  constitution  and  organism  of  man,  and 
that  this  organic  and  constitutional  impression  is  trans¬ 
mitted  from  generation  to  generation,  imparting  to  all 
a  depraved  constitution  and  organism. 

It  is  equally  in  vain,  in  denying  the  transmissibility 

19 


230 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


of  sin,  also  to  deny  the  dogma  of  imputation,  or  the 
transmission  of  the  penalty.  For  what  is  thus  rejected 
as  a  penalty  must  still  he  accepted,  under  another  name, 
as  a  misfortune.  Those  who  make  this  denial  are  un¬ 
willing  to  admit  that  the  misfortunes  which  we  suffer  are 
a  penalty,  because  the  idea  of  punishment  implies  a 
voluntary  infraction  on  the  part  of  the  person  who  re¬ 
ceives  it,  and  a  voluntary  determination  on  the  part  of 
the  person  who  imposes  it.  But  our  sorrows  and  mis¬ 
fortunes  are  none  the  less  certain  and  inevitable,  and 
those  who  will  not  admit  these  misfortunes  to  be  .the 
legitimate  consequence  of  sin,  are  nevertheless  obliged 
to  admit  them  as  a  natural  consequence  of  the  necessary 
relations  between  cause  and  effect.  According  to  this 
system,  the  radical  corruption  of  their  nature  was  a 
penalty  our  first  parents  merited,  because  they  volun¬ 
tarily  sinned.  This  voluntary  disobedience  merited  the 
penalty  of  depravity  which  was  imposed  upon  them  by 
an  incorruptible  judge.  This  same  corruption  of  our 
nature  is  in  us  only  a  misfortune,  as  it  is  not  imposed 
upon  us  as  a  penalty,  but  is  imputed  to  us  as  heirs  of  a 
nature  radically  corrupted.  And  this  misfortune  is  so 
deplorable  that  even  God  could  not  decree  our  exemption 
from  it,  without  altering  by  a  miracle  one  of  the  laws 
which  govern  the  world,  and  in  virtue  of  which  effects 
result  from  their  causes.  This  miracle  was  performed  in 
the  fullness  of  time,  in  so  excellent  and  exalted  a  man¬ 
ner,  by  means  so  hidden  and  supernatural,  and  by  an 
act  of  wisdom  so  sublime  that  this  ineffable  work  of 
God  was  to  some  a  scandal,  and  to  others  a  foolishness. 

The  transmission  of  the  consequences  of  sin  is  thus 
explained  according  to  this  system.  The  first  man  was, 
at  his  creation,  endowed  with  inestimable  privileges. 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


211 


His  flesh  was  subject  to  his  will,  and  his  will  to  his  un¬ 
derstanding,  which  received  its  light  from  the  divine 
mind.  If  our  first  parents  had  procreated  before  sin¬ 
ning,  their  children  would  have  inherited  their  pure 
nature.  To  prevent  this,  it  would  have  been  necessary 
on  the  part  of  God  to  change  that  law  in  virtue  of 
which  each  being  transmits  its  own  qualities,  and  to 
establish  another  law  in  its  place  by  which  each  being 
could  only  transmit  precisely  that  which  it  has  not. 
Our  first  parents  having  been  guilty  of  a  grievous 
rebellion,  they  were  justly  despoiled  of  all  their  privi¬ 
leges.  Their  spiritual  union  with  God  ceased,  and  they 
were  separated  from  him.  Their  wisdom  was  converted 
into  ignorance,  all  their  power  into  weakness.  They 
were  deprived  of  that  original  justice  and  grace  in 
which  they  were  born,  and,  being  despoiled  of  all,  re¬ 
mained  entirely  destitute.  Their  flesh  rebelled  against 
their  will,  their  will  against  their  understanding;  their 
reason  sought  to  control  their  will,  and  their  will  to  sub¬ 
due  the  flesh;  and  their  flesh,  will,  and  reason  united  in 
rebelling  against  that  most  high  God  who  had  so  mag¬ 
nificently  endowed  them. 

It  is  evident  that  in  this  condition  the  father  could 
not  avoid  transmitting  to  his  children,  by  way  of  gener¬ 
ation,  his  own  properties,  and  that  the  child  was  born 
ignorant  of  one  ignorant,  weak  of  one  weak,  depraved 
of  one  depraved,  separated  from  God  of  one  departed 
from  God,  infirm  of  one  infirm,  mortal  of  one  mortal, 
rebellious  of  one  rebellious.  Had  man  been  born  wise 
of  one  ignorant,  strong  of  one  weak,  united  to  God  of 
one  separated  from  God,  healthy  of  one  infirm,  immortal 
of  one  mortal,  and  submissive  of  one  rebellious,  the  law 
of  nature  must  have  been  changed  in  virtue  of  which 


212 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


like  produces  like,  and  replaced  by  another  law  in  virtue 
of  which  contraries  produce  their  contraries. 

These  are  the  views  of  those  who  assume  to  give  a 
purely  natural  explanation  of  the  transmission  of  evil: 
and  we  see  that  reason  eventually  attains  the  same  con¬ 
clusion  as  the  dogma,  although  it  does  so  by  different 
means.  There  are  speculative  but  not  practical  differences 
between  the  one  and  the  other.  In  order  to  comprehend 
the  immense  distinction  that  exists  between  the  natural 
and  supernatural  explanation  of  the  fact  that  we  are 
investigating,  it  is  essential  to  look  beyond  this  fact. 
We  then  perceive  the  inadequacy  of  the  human  explana¬ 
tion  and  the  entire  adequacy  of  the  divine.  This  full¬ 
ness  of  evidence  will  become  more  apparent  as  we  con¬ 
tinue  our  investigations.  At  present  my  design  is  only 
to  explain  and  demonstrate  the  dogma  of  transmission; 
a  dogma  which,  without  weakening  what  is  really  true 
in  the  explication,  according  to  a  natural  point  of  view, 
rectifies  whatever  it  contains  that  is  incomplete  and 
false. 

Natural  reason  designates  as  misfortune  what  is  trans¬ 
mitted  to  us.  Dogma  gives  three  designations:  sin, 
penalty,  and  misfortune — it  being  misfortune  wherein  it 
is  inevitable,  penalty  wherein  it  is  voluntary  on  the  part 
of  God,  and  sin  wherein  it  is  voluntary  on  the  part  of 
man.  The  wonder  is  that  this  misfortune,  which  is  a 
real  misfortune,  is  yet  so  in  such  a  manner  that  it  be¬ 
comes  a  happiness;  and  that  this  penalty,  which  is  a 
real  penalty,  is  yet  so  in  such  a  manner  that  it  becomes 
a  remedy ;  and  that  this  sin,  which  is  a  real  sin,  is  yet 
so  in  such  a  manner  that  it  is  converted  into  a  blessing: 
felix  culpa.  In  this  great  plan  of  God,  more  than  in 
any  other  of  his  designs,  that  supreme  wisdom  is  con- 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


213 


spicuous  by  which  he  reconciles  what  would  seem  to  be 
irreconcilable,  and  by  means  of  which  all  contradictions 
and  incompatibilities  are  combined  in  one  magnificent 
synthesis. 

With  regard  to  sin,  the  entire  question  lies  in  this 
difficult  problem:  How  can  we  be  sinners  when  we  do 
not  sin  ?  How  can  we  as  infants  sin  ? 

In  order  to  explain  this,  we  must  consider  that  our 
first  parent  represented  both  an  individual  and  a  species, 
a  man  and  the  human  species,  diversity  and  unity  joined 
in  one.  And  as  it  is  a  fundamental  and  primitive  law 
that  diversity  proceeds  from  the  unity  wherein  it  exists 
in  order  to  form  a  separate  existence,  but  returns  in  its 
ultimate  evolution  to  the  unity  from  which  it  originates, 
as  a  consequence  of  this  law  the  species  which  Adam 
represented  proceeded  from  Adam,  through  generation, 
so  as  to  constitute  for  itself  a  separate  existence.  But  as 
Adam  was  at  the  same  time  species  and  individual,  it 
necessarily  results  from  this,  that  Adam  was  in  the  spe¬ 
cies  as  he  was  in  the  individual.  When  the  individual 
and  the  species  were  one  and  the  same,  Adam  united 
these  things  in  himself;  when  the  individual  and  the 
species  were  separated  in  order  to  constitute  unity  and 
diversity,  Adam  was  these  two  things  separated,  in  the 
same  way  that  he  had  previously  been  these  two  things 
united.  There  then  existed  an  Adam  as  an  individual, 
and  another  Adam  as  a  species ;  and  as  sin  existed  be¬ 
fore  the  separation,  and  as  Adam  sinned  both  with  his 
individual  nature  and  with  his  collective  nature,  it 
results  from  this,  that  both  the  one  and  the  other  Adam 
were  sinners.  The  individual  Adam  died,  but  the  col¬ 
lective  Adam  did  not  die,  and  with  his  life  preserves  his 

19* 


214 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


sin.  The  collective  Adam  and  human  nature  are  iden¬ 
tical,  and  human  nature  is  therefore  perpetually  guilty, 
because  it  is  forever  sinful. 

Let  us  now  apply  these  principles  to  the  present  ques¬ 
tion.  Every  man  has  a  human  nature,  and  therefore 
Adam,  who  is  this  very  nature,  perpetually  lives  in  each 
man,  and  lives  in  him  with  that  which  is  become  in¬ 
herent  with  his  life,  that  is  to  say,  with  his  sin.  This 
granted,  we  can  understand  more  readily  how  sin  can 
exist  in  the  child  at  his  birth.  At  my  birth  I  am  a  sinner, 
although  I  am  but  an  infant,  because  through  the  human 
nature  which  I  have  I  am  Adam.  I  am  so  not  because 
I  sin,  but  because  I  have  sinned  when  I  was  Adam  and 
an  adult,  and  before  I  bore  the  name  that  I  now  bear, 
and  before  my  birth.  When  God  created  Adam  I  was 
in  Adam,  and  he  was  in  me  at  my  birth.  Not  being 
able  to  be  separated  from  his  person  I  cannot  be  sepa¬ 
rated  from  his  sin.  Notwithstanding,  I  am  not  Adam 
in  such  a  way  that  I  am  confounded  with  him  in  an 
absolute  manner.  There  is  that  peculiar  to  me  which 
is  not  in  him  —  that  by  which  I  am  distinguished  from 
him,  namely,  that  inherent  quality  which  constitutes 
my  individual  unity,  and  which  distinguishes  me  from 
him  whom  I  most  closely  resemble:  and  this  which 
constitutes  me  as  an  individual,  this  diversity  rela¬ 
tively  to  a  common  unity,  is  what  I  have  received 
and  hold  from  the  father  who  begot -me,  and  from  the 
mother  who  bore  me.  They  have  not  given  me  human 
nature,  which  I  receive  from  God  through  Adam,  but 
they  have  placed  on  this  nature  the  seal  of  the  family, 
and  they  have  stamped  it  with  their  image.  They  have 
not  given  me  being,  but  the  manner  of  my  existence; 
placing  the  less  in  the  greater,  that  is  to  say,  placing 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM.  215 

that  by  which  I  am  distinguished  from  others  in  that 
by  which  I  resemble  others;  the  particular  in  the  com¬ 
mon,  the  individual  in  the  human.  And  as  that  which 
I  have  of  human,  and  which  assimilates  me  to  others,  is 
that  which  is  essential  in  man,  and  that  which  I  have 
as  an  individual  and  distinct  from  others,  is  only  an  acci¬ 
dent,  therefore  what  man  receives  from  God  through 
Adam  is  that  which  constitutes  his  essence,  and  what  he 
receives  from  God  through  his  father  is  that  which  con¬ 
stitutes  his  form;  consequently  there  is  no  man  what¬ 
ever  whose  being,  considered  as  a  whole,  does  not  more 
closely  resemble  Adam  than  his  own  father. 

As  to  the  question  of  penalty,  it  is  solved  from  the 
moment  that  we  accept  as  established  the  transmission 
of  sin;  as  the  one  cannot  be  comprehended  without  the 
other,  on  account  of  their  mutual  dependence.  If  it  is 
certain  that  I  am  guilty,  it  is  just  that  I  should  be  pun¬ 
ished  ;  and  as  in  these  matters  what  is  just  is  necessary, 
it  follows  that  what  I  suffer  is,  without  ceasing  to  be  a 
misfortune,  necessarily  a  penalty.  Penalty  and  misfor¬ 
tune  differ  in  a  human  point  of  view,  but  are  identical 
in  a  divine  point  of  view.  Man  calls  misfortune  the 
evil  produced  as  the  inevitable  effect  of  a  second  cause, 
and  he  designates  as  penalty  the  evil  that  a  free  being 
voluntarily  imposes  on  another  in  punishment  of  a  vol¬ 
untary  fault.  But  as  all  that  takes  place  necessarily 
happens  by  the  will  of  God,  so  all  that  takes  place  by 
his  will  necessarily  happens.  God  is  the  supreme  equa¬ 
tion  between  the  necessary  and  the  voluntary,  and  these 
things  which  for  a  man  are  different  are  in  God  one  and 
the  same.  Therefore  it  is  manifest  that  under  the  di¬ 
vine  point  of  view  all  misfortune  is  a  penalty,  and  all 
penalty  a  misfortune. 


216 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


From  what  we  have  just  said  may  be  perceived  how 
great  is  the  error  of  those  who  are  not  astonished  at 
the  mysterious  analogies  and  secret  affinities  which  God 
places  between  parents  and  their  children,  but  who  are 
yet  surprised  that  God  has  placed  these  same  affinities 
and  analogies  between  the  rebel  Adam  and  his  unhappy 
descendants.  No  understanding  may  measure,  nor  rea¬ 
son  grasp,  nor  imagination  conceive  the  strong  and  close 
tie  which  God  has  himself  placed  between  all  men  and 
this  only  man,  who  is  at  the  same  time  unity  and  collec¬ 
tion,  singular  and  plural,  individual  and  species,  who 
dies  and  who  yet  survives,  who  is  real  and  symbolical, 
type  and  substance,  body  and  shadow,  in  whom  we  all 
were  and  who  is  in  us  all.  This  is  a  fearful  enigma 
wThieh  presents  under  each  new  aspect  a  new  mystery. 
And  as  man  cannot  comprehend,  either  by  his  reason, 
or  by  his  imagination,  or  by  his  understanding,  that 
which  is  so  strangely  complex  and  mysteriously  ob¬ 
scure  in  his  nature,  neither  can  he  understand  (even 
did  he  employ  every  faculty  of  his  soul  in  the  attempt 
to  do  so)  the  immense  distance  that  exists  between  our 
sins  and  the  sin  of  the  first  man ;  a  sin  which  like  him 
stands  alone  and  unequaled  by  its  profound  malice 
and  its  unparalleled  enormity.  No  one  since  Adam 
has  sinned  as  Adam  sinned,  and  no  one  will  sin  as 
he  did  throughout  the  duration  of  time.  His  sin, 
partaking  of  the  nature  of  the  sinner,  was  at  the 
same  time  both  one  and  multiple,  because  it  was  in  act 
one  sin  and  in  effect  all  sins.  By  it  Adam  marred  that 
which  no  other  sinner  could  ever  deface;  for  he  thereby 
destroyed  the  spotless  purity  of  his  innocence.  We  who 
now  sin,  multiplying  sin  upon  sin,  only  add  stain  upon 
stain;  but  Adam  alone  sullied  the  spotless  whiteness 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


217 


of  the  snow.  The  condition  in  which  our  nature  is 
placed  is  a  grave  evil,  and  our  sins  are  a  still  greater 
evil;  but  between  the  deformity  peculiar  to  sin  and  that 
peculiar  to  the  nature  of  man,  there  exists  a  secret  con¬ 
nection  and  a  certain  proportion  which  did  not  exist 
between  sin  and  the  nature  of  the  first  man.  Extreme 
beauty  united  in  the  same  man  to  extreme  ugliness  is 
monstrous;  and  two  forms  of  ugliness  combined  are,  in 
comparison  to  it,  beautiful.  For  then,  in  place  of  their 
ugliness  being  heightened  by  contrast,  it  is  to  some  ex¬ 
tent  modified  by  the  harmony  which  results  from-  their 
resemblance.  This  is,  doubtless,  the  reason  why  physi¬ 
cal  ugliness  always  seems  to  diminish  with  years.  It 
appears  to  be  better  adapted  to  old  age,  and  harmonizes 
with  its  wrinkles.  On  the  contrary,  nothing  can  be 
more  sad,  nor  more  repulsive,  than  the  stamp  of  old 
age  upon  an  angelic  face,  or  than  ugliness  in  the  bloom 
of  life.  Those  women  who,  having  once  been  beautiful, 
preserve  in  the  decline  of  life  the  vestiges  of  their  for¬ 
mer  loveliness,  have  always  appeared  to  me  to  be  horri¬ 
ble —  they  always  remind  me  of  the  magnitude  of  that 
first  sin,  in  consequence  of  which  we  find  united  that 
which  God  designed  should  remain  separated.  No ! 
God  has  not  made  beauty  for  old  age,  nor  old  age  for 
beauty.  Lucifer  was  the  only  angel,  and  Adam  the  only 
man  who  united  in  themselves  all  the  horrors  of  decrepi¬ 
tude  and  ugliness  joined  to  all  the  freshness  of  youth 
and  the  splendor  of  beauty. 


218 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


CHAPTER  II. 

How  God  brought  good  out  of  the  transmission  of  sin,  and  of 
penalty— The  purifying  effect  of  pain  freely  accepted. 

Reason,  which  revolts  against  the  transmission  of 
sin  or  of  penalty,  yet  receives  what  is  transmitted  to 
us  without  repugnance,  notwithstanding  the  sorrow  which 
accompanies  it,  if  in  place  of  being  designated  as  sin 
and  penalty  it  is  called  inevitable  misfortune.  It  is 
not,  however,  difficult  clearly  to  prove  that  this  misfor¬ 
tune  could  not  be  changed  into  happiness,  except  with 
the  condition  of  its  being  a  penalty,  from  which  we  neces¬ 
sarily  conclude  that  the  rationalist  solution  in  its  defini¬ 
tive  results  is  less  acceptable  than  the  Catholic  solution. 

If  our  actual  depravity  is  only  a  physical  and  neces¬ 
sary  effect  of  the  primitive  corruption,  and  the  effect 
must  last  so  long  as  the  cause  remains,  it  is  evident  that 
since  there  is  no  means  whatever  of  removing  the  cause, 
neither  can  there  be  any  by  which  the  effect  may  be  pre¬ 
vented.  Original  corruption,  the  cause  of  our  actual  cor¬ 
ruption,  is  an  accomplished  fact;  and  our  actual  corrup¬ 
tion  is  consequently  an  established  fact,  and  places  us 
in  a  state  of  irrevocable  suffering  and  misfortune. 

Moreover,  when  we  reflect  upon  the  radical  antago¬ 
nism  between  the  corrupt  and  the  incorruptible,  we  must 
acknowledge  that  according  to  the  rationalist  solution, 
any  union  of  man  with  God  is  rendered  altogether  im¬ 
possible  not  only  in  the  present,  but  likewise  in  the 
future.  In  effect,  since  human  corruption  is  indelible 
and  perpetual,  and  since  God  is  eternally  incorruptible, 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


219 


between  the  incorruptibility  of  God  and  the  perpetual 
corruption  of  man  there  is  an  invincible  repugnance, 
and  an  absolute  contradiction,  and  man  must  therefore 
remain  forever  separated  from  God. 

Nor  can  it  be  said  in  reply  that  man  may  be  redeemed, 
because  the  logical  consequence  of  this  system  is  pre¬ 
cisely  the  impossibility  of  the  redemption  of  mankind. 
There  can  be  no  redemption  for  unhappiness,  unless  we 
conceive  it  as  a  penalty  attached  to  sin.  If  we  suppress 
the  sin,  we  also  suppress  the  penalty;  and  by  the  sup¬ 
pression  of  the  sin  and  the  penalty  unhappiness  becomes 
irremediable. 

According  to  this  system,  free  will  in  man  becomes 
altogether  inexplicable.  For  if  man  is  born,  lives,  and 
dies  separated  from  God  through  an  invincible  necessity, 
what  does  free  will  in  man  mean,  and  what  is  it  ? 

If  there  can  be  no  transmission  of  sin,  and  of  pun¬ 
ishment,  then  there  can  exist  no  reason  for  the  dogma 
of  redemption  and  of  human  liberty,  and  with  these  all 
the  other  dogmas  are  also  subverted.  Because  if  man 
is  not  free,  then  he  has  not  dominion  over  the  earth; 
and  if  he  has  no  right  to  exercise  this  sovereignty,  the 
earth  is  not  united  to  God  through  man;  and  if  it  is  not 
united  to  God  through  man,  it  is  not  united  to  Him  in 
any  manner  whatever.  If  man,  in  place  of  being  sepa¬ 
rated  from  God  in  one  form  in  order  to  return  to  Him  in 
another,  is  absolutely  separated  from  Him  so  that  neither 
the  goodness,  the  justice,  nor  the  mercy  of  God  can 
reach  him,  then  all  the  harmonies  of  creation  disappear, 
every  tie  is  broken,  disorder  universally  prevails,  and  all 
things  are  in  a  chaotic  state.  God  ceases  to  be  the 
Catholic,  the  living  God.  God  is  on  high  in  his  majesty. 
His  creatures,  in  their  abjection,  grovel  below,  and  neither 


220 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


do  they  desire  God  nor  does  he  deign  to  occupy  himself 
with  them. 

The  divine  beauty  of  Catholic  dogmas  is  pre-eminent 
in  the  admirable  connection  which  unites  them  all  in 
such  marvelous  and  profound  harmony,  that  human 
reason  cannot  conceive  of  a  more  perfect  agreement, 
and  is  placed  in  the  fearful  alternative  of  accepting  or 
rejecting  them  altogether.  Nor  does  this  difficulty  exist 
because  each  dogma  expresses  a  different  truth,  but  be¬ 
cause  they  all  contain  the  same  truth;  the  various  dog¬ 
mas  simply  presenting  and  corresponding  to  a  diversity 
of  aspects. 

Nor  have  we  fully  depicted  the  consequences  of  the 
system,  which,  while  it  admits  the  lamentable  unhappi¬ 
ness  of  fallen  man,  makes  an  absolute  abstraction  of 
penalty.  If  this  unhappiness  is  simply  a  misfortune, 
and  not  also  a  punishment — if  it  is  only  the  inevitable 
effect  of  a  necessary  cause,  there  can  be  no  way  of  ex¬ 
plaining  why  Adam  should  have  persevered,  or  why  we 
should  retain  any  remnant  whatever  of  our  primitive 
condition.  For  it  is  worthy  of  remark,  and  in  opposi¬ 
tion  to  what  at  first  sight  would  appear,  that  it  is  not 
justice  but  mercy  which  is  especially  conspicuous  in  that 
solemn  condemnation  which  immediately  followed  the 
commission  of  sin.  If  God  had  refrained  from  inter¬ 
vening  with  this  condemnation  when  this  tremendous 
catastrophe  occurred,  if  when  he  saw  man  separated 
from  him  he  had  withdrawn  himself  from  man,  and 
entering  into  the  tranquillity  of  his  repose  had  no 
longer  vouchsafed  to  think  of  man,  or,  to  express  all  in 
one  word,  if  God  in  place  of  condemning  man  had 
abandoned  him  to  the  inevitable  consequences  of  his 
voluntary  disunion  and  separation,  then  the  fall  of  man 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


221 


would  have  been  hopeless,  and  his  perdition  certain. 
But  in  order  that  this  disaster  might  be  repaired,  it  be¬ 
came  necessary  for  God  to  draw  near  to  man  in  another 
way,  uniting  Himself  to  him  anew,  although  imperfectly, 
by  the  ties  of  mercy.  Punishment  was  the  new  bond  of 
union  between  the  Creator  and  the  creature,  and  in  it 
mercy  and  justice  were  mysteriously  joined:  mercy 
being  the  connecting  link,  and  justice  vindicated  in  the 
penalty  assigned. 

If  we  cease  to  view  suffering  and  sorrow  in  the  light 
of  a  penalty,  we  not  only  deprive  them  of  their  power 
to  reunite  the  Creator  and  the  creature,  but  we  also 
destroy  their  expiatory  and  purifying  effect  on  man. 
If  grief  is  not  a  penalty,  it  is  an  unmitigated  evil;  if  it 
is  a  penalty,  it  still  remains  an  evil  through  its  origin, 
sin;  but  it  is  also  a  great  good,  on  account  of  its  free¬ 
ing  from  the  defilement  of  sin.  The  universality  of  sin 
renders  necessary  the  universality  of  purification,  in 
order  that  all  mankind  may  be  cleansed  in  its  myste¬ 
rious  waters.  This  is  the  reason  why  all  who  are  born, 
suffer  from  their  birth  up  to  the  time  of  their  death. 
Sorrow  is  the  inseparable  companion  of  life  in  this  dark 
valley  filled  with  our  sighs,  tears  and  lamentations. 
Everyman  is  a  suffering  being,  and  all  that  is  not  sor¬ 
row  is  foreign  to  man’s  condition.  If  he  views  the  past, 
he  feels  regret  that  it  is  no  more;  if  he  regards  the 
present,  he  is  distressed  because  the  past  seems  more 
happy;  and  if  he  thinks  of  the  future,  he  is  distressed 
because  all  is  enshrouded  in  mystery  and  gloom.  How¬ 
ever  slightly  he  may  reflect,  he  is  reminded  that  the  past, 
the  present  and  the  future  comprise  all,  and  that  this 
all  is  nothing.  The  past  is  already  past,  the  present  is 

20 


222 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


fugitive,  and  the  future  is  not.  The  necessitous  are 
overwhelmed  with  privations,  the  rich  are  satiated  with 
abundance,  the  powerful  are  tortured  with  pride,  the  idle 
suffer  weariness,  the  lowly  envy,  the  great  are  disdainful. 
The  conquerors  who  overwhelm  nations  are  themselves 
overcome  by  their  passions,  and  th$y  only  trample  upon 
others  in  order  to  fly  from  themselves.  Luxury  con¬ 
sumes  with  its  shameless  ardors  the  life  of  the  youth, 
who,  when  he  becomes  a  man,  is  inspired  by  ambition, 
and  devoured  by  the  flames  of  this  passion.  When 
luxury  and  ambition  are  weary  of  their  victim,  avarice 
takes  possession  and  gives  an  artificial  life  which  is 
called  wakefulness.  Avaricious  old  men  only  live  be¬ 
cause  they  do  not  sleep ;  their  life  is  simply  watch¬ 
fulness.  Regard  the  earth  throughout  its  length  and 
breadth,  consider  all  that  surrounds  you,  annihilate 
space  and  time,  and  you  will  find  among  the  abodes 
of  men  only  what  you  here  behold  —  a  grief  without 
intermission,  and  a  lamentation  which  never  ceases. 
But  this  grief  freely  accepted  is  the  measure  of  all 
greatness;  for  there  can  be  no  greatness  without  sacri¬ 
fice,  and  sacrifice  is  only  grief  voluntarily  accepted. 
The  world  calls  those  persons  heroic  who,  transpierced 
with  a  sword  of  grief,  freely  accept  their  suffering. 
The  Church  calls  holy  those  who  accept  every  grief, 
both  of  the  spirit  and  of  the  flesh.  Those  persons  are 
holy  who,  notwithstanding  avaricious  desires,  renounce 
all  the  treasures  of  the  wTorld ;  those  who,  craving  for 
the  pleasures  of  the  table,  remain  temperate;  those  who, 
inflamed  with  voluptuous  desires,  know  how  to  control 
them  and  continue  chaste;  those  who,  tempted  by  im¬ 
pure  thoughts,  reject  them  and  remain  pure;  those  who 
attain  such  heights  through  humility  that  they  conquer 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


223 


pride;  those  who  enviously  long  for  the  advantages  which 
others  enjoy,  yet  force  themselves  to  change  this  sadness 
into  a  pious  contentment;  those  who  trample  under  foot 
the  aspirations  of  ambition  which  lifted  them  to  the 
clouds;  those  who,  inclined  to  idleness,  become  diligent; 
those  who,  oppressed  by  melancholy,  chase  away  all 
gloom  and  raise  themselves  to  a  spiritual  joy;  those 
who,  enamored  of  themselves,  immolate  their  egotism 
for  the  love  of  their  neighbor,  offering  for  them,  with 
heroic  zeal,  the  most  perfect  of  sacrifices,  their  own  life. 

Mankind  has  unanimously  recognized  a  sanctifying 
virtue  in  grief.  This  is  why,  through  all  ages,  in  every 
zone,  and  among  all  nations,  man  has  rendered  homage 
and  worship  to  great  misfortune.  (Edipus  is  greater  in 
the  day  of  his  calamity  than  in  the  days  of  his  glory — 
the  world  would  have  forgotten  his  name  if  the  thunder¬ 
bolt  of  divine  vengeance  had  not  hurled  him  from  his 
throne.  The  melancholy  beauty  which  invests  the  coun¬ 
tenance  of  Germanicus  with  so  much  attraction,  is  the 
reflection  of  the  sorrow  which  blasted  the  spring-time  of 
his  life,  and  of  his  beautiful  death,  far  from  his  beloved 
country  and  the  sky  of  Rome.  Marius,  who  in  the 
arrogance  of  victory  is  only  a  cruel  man,  becomes  sub¬ 
lime  when  he  is  precipitated  from  this  eminence,  and  is 
a  wanderer  in  the  marshes  of  Minturnse.  Mithridates 
appears  to  us  greater  than  Pompey,  and  Hannibal  supe¬ 
rior  to  Scipio.  Man,  without  knowing  wherefore,  always 
inclines  in  favor  of  the  conquered,  and  misfortune  has 
greater  charms  for  him  than  victory.  Socrates  is  less 
great  in  life  than  in  death;  nor  has  he  acquired  immor¬ 
tality  because  he  knew  how  to  live,  but  on  account 
of  his  heroic  death.  He  is  less  indebted  to  philosophy 
than  to  the  cup  of  hemlock.  Mankind  would  have  com- 


224 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


plained  had  Rome  permitted  Cesar  to  die  like  other 
men.  His  glory  was  so  great  that  he  merited  the  crown 
of  a  great  misfortune.  Scarcely  is  it  permitted  to 
Cromwell  to  expire  tranquilly  on  his  bed,  invested  with 
the  sovereign  power.  Napoleon  was  to  have  a  different 
death;  he  was  to  die  after  being  vanquished  at  Water¬ 
loo.  Proscribed  by  Europe,  he  was  to  fill  a  grave  des¬ 
tined  by  God,  from  the  beginning  of  time,  to  receive 
him.  A  wide  chasm  must  separate  him  from  the  rest 
of  the  world ;  one  so  vast  and  profound  that  in  it  the 
ocean  falls. 

Suffering  establishes  a  kind  of  equality  among  those 
who  suffer,  which  makes  all  men  in  a  manner  equal,  since 
all  are  called  upon  to  suffer.  Prosperity  separates  us ; 
misfortune  unites  us  in  a  fraternal  bond.  Suffering  rids 
us  of  that  which  we  have  to  excess,  and  gives  us  that 
which  we  needed,  so  that  it  places  man  in  a  perfect 
equilibrium.  The  haughty  do  not  suffer  without  a  dim¬ 
inution  of  their  pride ;  nor  the  ambitious  without  moder¬ 
ating  their  ambition ;  nor  the  choleric  without  becoming 
less  inclined  to  anger ;  nor  the  luxurious  without  being 
less  given  to  the  gratification  of  their  appetites.  Pain 
has  a  sovereign  power  to  appease  the  violence  of  the 
passions,  and,  while  it  takes  from  us  what  is  debasing, 
at  the  same  time  it  imparts  to  us  what  is  ennobling. 
The  cruel  never  suffer  without  being  more  inclined  to 
compassion ;  nor  the  haughty  without  becoming  more 
humble ;  nor  the  voluptuous  without  growing  more 
chaste.  The  violent  are  subdued,  the  weak  are  strength¬ 
ened.  It  is  not  in  vain  that  we  pass  through  this  great 
furnace  of  pain.  The  greater  number  come  out  of  this 
sharp  ordeal  with  exalted  virtues,  which  they  never  be¬ 
fore  possessed.  The  impious  are  converted  to  religion, 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


225 


the  avaricious  to  alms-giving,  they  who  had  never  wept 
gain  the  gift  of  tears,  and  the  hard-hearted  become  mer¬ 
ciful.  Pain  has  an  undefined  element  of  power,  and  of 
depth,  which  is  the  source  of  all  heroism  and  grandeur. 
No  one  has  felt  this  mysterious  contact  without  being 
thereby  animated  :  the  child  acquires  the  manliness  of 
the  youth,  the  youth  the  maturity  and  gravity  of  man¬ 
hood,  men  the  strength  of  heroes,  and  heroes  the  sanctity 
of  saints. 

On  the  contrary,  he  who  turns  aside  from  pain  to 
court  pleasure,  commences  to  descend ;  and  the  career 
of  his  degradation  is  rapid  and  continuous.  From  the 
height  of  sanctity  he  falls  into  the  abyss  of  sin ;  from 
glory  he  sinks  to  infamy;  his  heroism  is  changed  into 
weakness,  and  through  the  habit  of  yielding,  he  loses 
even  the  remembrance  of  firmness,  and  by  falling  so 
often  he  loses  the  faculty  of  rising  again.  Indul¬ 
gence  in  pleasure  deprives  him  of  all  vitality,  paralyzes 
the  elasticity  and  vigor  of  all  the  muscles  of  his  body, 
and  all  the  energies  of  his  soul.  In  sensual  gratifica¬ 
tion  there  is  a  corrupting  and  enervating  power,  which 
slowly  and  silently  kills  its  victim.  Woe  to  those  who 
respond  to  this  syren  but  perfidious  voice  !  Woe  to 
those  who,  when  pleasure  allures  with  her  perfumes  and 
flowers,  remain  without  fear,  for  they  shall  soon  cease 
to  be  masters  of  themselves,  and  shall  helplessly  fall 
into  that  swoon  of  seeming  death,  in  which  she  wraps 
the  senses  of  those  who  are  intoxicated  with  the  aroma 
of  her  flowers  and  the  vapors  of  her  perfumes !  Then, 
the  unhappy  victim  either  miserably  succumbs  to  this 
infatuation  or  he  is  altogether  transformed  by  it.  The 
child  never  attains  adolescence,  the  adult  withers  into 

20* 


226 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


seeming  old  age,  and  the  aged  perish.  Man  is  despoiled 
by  pleasure  of  the  strength  of  his  will,  of  the  vigor  of 
his  understanding,  and  loses  the  instinct  of  great  things. 
He  becomes  cynically  selfish,  excessively  cruel,  and 
nameless  passions  violently  agitate  him.  If  he  is  of 
mean  condition,  he  will  fall  from  the  hands  of  justice 
into  the  hands  of  the  executioner.  If  he  is  of  exalted 
rank,  he  wdll  excite  terror  and  indignation  by  the  unre¬ 
strained  indulgence  of  his  rapacious  and  ferocious  in¬ 
stincts.  When  God  wishes  to  chastise  a  nation  for  its 
sins,  he  enslaves  it  under  the  dominion  of  voluptuous 
men,  who,  stupefied  with  the  opium  of  sensual  gratifica¬ 
tion,  can  only  be  aroused  from  their  brutal  insensibility 
by  the  fumes  of  blood.  All  those  horrid  monsters,  whom 
the  pretorians  in  the  days  of  imperial  Rome  saluted  as 
emperors,  were  voluptuous  and  effeminate  men.  Revo¬ 
lutionary  France  worshiped  at  the  same  time  prostitu¬ 
tion  and  death ;  while  prostitution  triumphed  in  her  tem¬ 
ples  and  at  her  altars,  death  was  worshiped  in  her  public 
places  and  on  her  scaffolds. 

There  is,  then,  something  corrosive  and  malefic  in  pleas¬ 
ure,  as  there  is  in  pain  something  purifying  and  divine. 
However,  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  because  these 
things  are  of  a  contrary  nature,  they  do  not  in  some  sense 
agree ;  for,  he  who  freely  accepts  grief  has  an  innate  con¬ 
sciousness  of  spiritual  joy,  which  fortifies  and  elevates 
him ;  in  the  same  manner  that  he  who  gives  himself  up 
to  pleasure  experiences  a  kind  of  grief  which,  in  place 
of  strengthening,  enervates  and  depresses  him.  Suffer¬ 
ing  is  the  universal  punishment  that  all  must  endure ; 
wherever  man  looks  around  him,  or  in  whatever  direc¬ 
tion  he  may  go,  he  meets  with  grief,  a  mute  and  weeping 
statue,  ever  before  him.  Grief  has  this,  in  common  with 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


227 


the  Divinity,  that  it  is  for  us  a  circle,  which  includes  us. 
Whether  we  are  drawn  toward  the  center  or  carried 
toward  the  circumference,  we  are  equally  attracted  to 
it ;  and  to  gravitate  toward  it,  is  to  gravitate  toward 
God,  who  is  the  inevitable  limit  of  all  our  movements — 
with  this  difference,  that  certain  kinds  of  suffering  draw 
us  to  a  tender  and  compassionate  God ;  others,  to  an 
irritated  and  just  God;  and  others  yet,  to  the  God  of 
pardon  and  mercy.  Pleasure  engenders  suffering  as  a 
penalty;  resignation  and  sacrifice  produce  suffering  as 
a  remedy.  How  great  is  the  folly  of  the  children  of 
Adam  !  They  cannot  escape  suffering,  and  they  attempt 
to  evade  that  form  of  it  which  is  a  remedy,  only  to 
endure  it  as  a  punishment ! 

How  great  is  God  in  all  his  designs,  and  how  admira¬ 
ble  the  divine  skill  with  which  he  draws  good  out  of  evil, 
order  out  of  disorder,  and  harmony  out  of  discord !  From 
human  liberty  results  the  dissonance  of  sin,  from  sin  the 
degradation  of  the  species ;  and  suffering  is  at  the  same 
time  a  misfortune  for  corrupted  nature  and  a  punish¬ 
ment  for  sinful  nature.  As  a  misfortune  it  is  inevita¬ 
ble,  as  a  penalty  it  is  redeemable,  for  redemption  is 
grace,  and  grace  is  displayed  in  punishment.  Thus,  the 
most  tremendous  act  of  the  justice  of  God  becomes  the 
greatest  act  of  his  mercy.  Through  it,  man,  aided  by 
God,  may  redeem  himself,  by  the  free  acceptance  of  suf¬ 
fering  ;  and  this  sublime  willingness  instantly  changes 
suffering  into  a  remedy  of  incomparable  elficacy.  Every 
negation  of  this  doctrine  necessarily  introduces  disorder 
into  humanity  through  sin,  since  it  inevitably  leads  to 
the  negation  of  several  essential  attributes  of  God,  and 
to  the  radical  negation  of  human  liberty. 

The  question  considered  in  this  aspect  is  one  of  those 


228 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


whose  solution  depends  upon  the  universal  order  of  crea¬ 
tion,  in  the  same  way  and  for  the  same  reasons  as  the 
question  relating  to  the  human  and  angelical  prevari¬ 
cations.  Considered  under  a  more  restricted  point  of 
view,  it  finds  its  solution  in  a  direct  and  fundamental 
manner,  in  the  special  order  which  God  has  established 
in  the  various  elements  that  compose  human  nature ; 
for,  if  the  voluntary  acceptation  of  suffering  produces 
those  wonderful  effects  of  which  we  have  spoken,  it  is 
because  it  possesses  the  astounding  virtue  of  radically 
changing  all  the  economy  of  our  being.  Through  it,  the 
rebellion  of  the  flesh  is  subdued,  and  it  is  compelled 
again  to  submit  to  the  will ;  through  it,  the  will  is  van¬ 
quished  and  made  to  yield  to  the  power  of  the  under¬ 
standing  ;  through  it,  the  understanding  is  again  sub¬ 
jected  to  the  law  of  duty;  and  through  the  fulfillment  of 
duty,  man  returns  to  the  worship  of  and  obedience  to 
the  laws  of  God,  from  which  sin  had  separated  him. 
These  miraculous  transformations  take  place  when  man 
heroically  conquers  himself,  and  with  generous  ardor 
seeks  to  subject  his  appetites  to  his  will,  his  will  to  his 
understanding,  and  his  understanding  to  the  will  of 
God;  that  henceforth  united  to  God  by  the  ties  of  duty, 
he  may  be  enlightened  in  God,  and  through  God. 

We  will  not  here  explain  upon  what  conditions  and 
by  what  aids  the  human  will  is  enabled  to  acquire  such 
exalted  and  supernatural  strength.  What  is  here  essen¬ 
tial  to  remark  is,  the  evident  fact  that,  without  this 
elevation  on  the  part  of  the  will,  as  manifested  by  its 
voluntary  acceptance  of  suffering,  the  sovereign  harmony 
and  marvelous  and  perfect  accord  which  God  estab¬ 
lished  in  man  and  in  all  his  faculties  can  never  be 
restored. 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


229 


CHAPTER  III. 

The  dogma  of  solidarity— Contradictions  of  the  liberal  school. 

Each  one  of  the  Catholic  dogmas  is  a  marvel  prolific 
of  marvels.  Human  intelligence  passes  from  the  con¬ 
templation  of  one  to  that  of  an  another,  as  from  one 
evident  proposition  to  another  evident  proposition;  as 
from  a  principle  to  its  legitimate  consequence,  when 
they  are  united  by  the  close  tie  of  a  rigorous  deduction. 
And  each  new  dogma  discovers  a  new  world  to  us,  and 
in  each  world  the  view  extends  over  a  new  and  wider 
horizon,  and  the  soul  remains  absorbed  in  the  splendor 
of  so  much  magnificence. 

The  Catholic  dogmas  explain  by  their  universality 
all  universal  facts;  and  these  facts,  in  their  turn,  ex¬ 
plain  the  Catholic  dogmas.  In  the  same  way  what  is 
multiple  and  diverse  is  explained  by  what  is  one,  and 
what  is  one  by  what  is  multiple  and  diverse;  the  con¬ 
taining  by  the  contained,  and  the  contained  by  the 
containing.  The  dogma  of  the  wisdom  and  the  provi¬ 
dence  of  God  explains  the  wonderful  harmony  of  created 
things;  and  this  order  and  agreement  explains  this 
Catholic  dogma.  The  dogma  of  human  liberty  explains 
fhe  primitive  prevarication,  and  this  same  prevarication, 
which  all  traditions  attest,  demonstrates  this  dogma. 
The  Adamic  prevarication  is  at  the  same  time  a  divine 
dogma  and  a  traditional  fact,  and  fully  explains  the 
great  disorders  which  disfigure  the  beauty  and  the  har- 


230 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


mony  of  things.  These  same  disorders,  in  their  evident 
manifestations,  are  a  perpetual  proof  of  the  Adamic 
prevarication.  Dogma  teaches  that  evil  is  a  negation, 
and  good  an  affirmation;  and  reason  tells  us  that  every 
evil  resolves  itself  into  the  negation  of  a  divine  affirma¬ 
tion.  Dogma  declares  that  evil  is  modal,  and  good  is 
essential ;  and  facts  prove  that  every  evil  resolves  itself 
into  a  certain  vicious  and  disordered  manner  of  being, 
and  that  there  is  no  essence  which  is  not  relatively  per¬ 
fect.  Dogma  affirms  that  God  brought  universal  good 
out  of  universal  evil,  and  a  perfect  order  out  of  abso¬ 
lute  disorder;  and  we  have  already  seen  in  what  way 
all  things  return  to  God,  although  they  do  so  by  different 
ways,  thus  constituting  by  their  union  with  God  univer¬ 
sal  and  supreme  order. 

If  we  pass  from  the  universal  order  to  human  order, 
the  connection  and  harmony  both  of  the  dogmas  with 
each  other,  and  of  the  dogmas  with  the  facts,  is  no  less 
evident.  The  dogma  which  teaches  the  simultaneous 
corruption  of  the  individual  and  of  the  species  in  Adam 
explains  to  us  the  transmission,  by  way  of  generation, 
of  sin,  and  of  the  effects  of  sin,  and  the  antithetical, 
contradictory,  and  depraved  nature  of  man,  such  as  we 
all  perceive  it  to  be.  This  leads  us,  as  by  the  hand, 
from  induction  to  induction :  first,  to  the  dogma  of  a 
general  corruption  of  all  the  human  species;  then,  to 
the  dogma  of  a  corruption  transmitted  through  the 
blood;  and,  finally,  to  the  dogma  of  primitive  prevari¬ 
cation;  and  this  dogma,  joined  with  that  of  the  liberty 
given  to  man  and  with  that  of  Providence  which  grants 
this  liberty,  becomes  as  the  point  of  conjunction  of  those 
dogmas  which  explain  the  special  order  and  agreement 
in  which  all  things  human  were  placed,  with  those  other 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


231 


sublime  and  more  universal  dogmas,  by  which  we  see 
how  the  Creator  produced  all  creatures  with  weight, 
number,  and  measure.  Following,  then,  the  exposition 
of  the  dogmas  respecting  the  human  order,  we  shall  see 
proceeding  from  them,  as  from  a  most  copious  source, 
those  general  laws  of  humanity  which  overwhelm  us 
with  astonishment  by  their  wisdom,  and  surprise  us  by 
their  grandeur. 

From  the  dogma  of  the  concentration  of  human  na¬ 
ture  in  Adam,  united  to  the  dogma  of  the  transmission 
of  this  same  nature  to  all  men,  proceeds,  as  a  conse¬ 
quence  from  its  principle,  the  dogma  of  the  substantial 
unity  of  mankind.  The  human  race  being  one,  ought 
at  the  same  time  to  be  multiple,  in  conformity  with  that 
law  which  is  the  most  universal  of  all  laws,  and  is  at 
the  same  time  physical  and  moral,  human  and  divine, 
and  in  virtue  of  which  all  unity  engenders  plurality,  and 
all  plurality  resolves  itself  into  unity.  Mankind  is  one 
by  the  substance  which  constitutes  it,  and  it  is  multiple 
by  the  persons  who  compose  it;  therefore  it  is  one  and 
multiple  at  the  same  time.  In  the  same  manner,  each 
one  of  the  individuals  who  compose  humanity,  being  dis¬ 
tinct  from  the  others  by  that  which  constitutes  his  in¬ 
dividuality,  and  blended  with  others  by  that  which  con¬ 
stitutes  him  an  individual  of  the  species,  that  is  to  say, 
by  substance,  becomes  in  this  way,  at  the  same  time  one 
and  multiple  like  the  human  species.  The  dogma  of 
actual  sin  is  correlative  with  the  dogma  of  multiplicity  in 
the  species,  and  the  dogmas  of  original  sin  and  of  impu¬ 
tation  are  correlative  with  the  dogma  which  teaches  the 
substantial  unity  of  mankind;  and,  as  a  consequence  of 
both,  proceeds  the  dogma  according  to  which  man  is 
subject  to  a  double  responsibility — that  which  is  proper 


232 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


to  him  alone,  and  also  that  which  belongs  to  him  in 
common  with  the  rest  of  men. 

This  responsibility  which  man  shares  in  common  with 
others  is  what  is  called  solidarity ;  and  it  is  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  and  sublime  revelations  of  Catholic  dog¬ 
ma.  Through  solidarity  man  rises  to  a  higher  dignity 
and  more  elevated  sphere,  and  becomes  something 
more  than  an  atom  in  space  and  a  moment  in  time. 
Through  this  law  he  already  lives  before  he  is  born,  and 
through  it  he  outlives  himself,  and  his  life  is  prolonged 
throughout  the  duration  of  time,  and  expanded  through¬ 
out  the  limits  of  space.  It  is  this  dogma  which  affirms, 
and  which  has  up  to  a  certain  point  created  humanity. 
This  word,  which  in  the  societies  of  antiquity  had  no 
meaning,  expresses  in  a  Christian  era  the  substantial 
unity  of  the  human  race,  and  the  close  relationship 
which  all  men  bear  toward  each  other. 

From  which  we  see  that  the  dogma  of  solidarity  not 
only  confers  nobility  upon  man,  but  also  dignity  upon 
human  nature.  This  is  not  the  case  with  regard  to  the 
communist  theory  of  solidarity,  of  which  we  shall  pres¬ 
ently  speak.  According  to  this  theory,  the  solidarity 
of  humanity  does  not  mean  the  vast  association  of  men 
who  are  united  because  they  have  but  one  and  the  same 
nature,  but  it  means  that  humanity  is  a  living  and  or¬ 
ganic  unity  which  absorbs  all  men,  who  in  place  of  con¬ 
stituting  it  are  only  its  instruments. 

According  to  the  Catholic  dogma,  the  individuals  are 
exalted  to  the  same  dignity  as  the  species.  Catholicism 
holds  an  equal  and  sublime  level,  without  inclining  to  any 
undue  elevation  or  depression.  It  does  not  ennoble 
human  nature  in  order  to  humiliate  man,  but  it  desires 
that  both  man  and  humanity  may  be  raised  to  divine 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


233 


heights.  When  I  examine  myself,  and  reflect  upon  what 
I  am,  and  when  I  behold  myself  m  communion  with  the 
first  man  and  with  the  last  of  men,  and  when  I  consider 
the  actions  I  perform  and  see  them  survive  me,  and  be¬ 
come  the  cause  in  the  course  of  their  perpetual  prolonga¬ 
tion  of  acts  multiplied  upon  acts,  which,  in  their  turn, 
are  perpetually  multiplied,  even  to  the  end  of  time; 
when  I  think  that  all  these  actions  combined  have  in  my 
act  their  origin,  and  that  they  will  testify  in  my  regard 
not  only  for  what  I  do,  but  for  what  I  have  caused  others 
to  do,  and  that  I  shall  accordingly  be  judged  worthy 
either  of  reward  or  condemnation;  when  I  meditate 
upon  all  these  things,  I  can  only  prostrate  myself  be¬ 
fore  God  and  acknowledge  that  it  is  not  given  to  me  to 
understand  or  to  measure  the  immensity  of  the  dignity 
with  which  God  has  invested  me.  Who  but  God  could 
thus  raise  all  things  to  so  elevated  and  perfectly  just  a 
standard?  When  man  wishes  to  exalt  any  object,  he 
does  so  only  by  depressing  what  he  does  not  elevate. 
In  religious  spheres,  he  does  not  know  how  to  raise 
himself  without  lowering  God,  nor  does  he  know  how 
to  exalt  God  without  debasing  himself.  In  the  polit¬ 
ical  world,  man  does  not  know  how  to  render  homage 
to  liberty  without  depriving  authority  of  the  respect 
and  obedience  due  to  it.  In  social  life,  he  alternately 
either  sacrifices  society  to  the  individual  or  the  indi¬ 
vidual  to  society,  forever  fluctuating,  as  we  have  seen, 
between  the  communist  despotism  and  Proudhonian 
anarchy.  If  he  at  times  attempts  to  maintain  a  just 
equipoise  everywhere  by  establishing  a  certain  accord 
and  justice  in  things,  then  the  balance  with  which  he 
would  adjust  them  falls  from  his  hand  and  is  broken, 

21 


234 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


as  if  there  existed  an  irremediable  disproportion  be¬ 
tween  the  weight  of  this  balance  and  the  weakness  of 
man.  It  would  seem  as  if  God,  when  he  gave  to  man 
dominion  over  the  sciences,  had  withheld  one  alone 
which  he  destined  to  remain  under  his  own  sway  and 
jurisdiction — the  science  of  equilibrium. 

This  is  the  reason  why  all  those  who  have  attempted 
to  hold  the  scales  in  equipoise  have  been  absolutely  im¬ 
potent  to  effect  their  object,  and  are  so  condemned  by 
history.  This  also  explains  why  the  great  problem  of 
the  reconciliation  of  the  rights  of  the  state  with  those  of 
individuals,  and  of  order  with  liberty,  after  having  been 
agitated  from  the  commencement  of  the  first  associa¬ 
tions,  still  rests  without  a  solution.  Man  cannot  main¬ 
tain  an  equilibrium  in  things  without  preserving  them  in 
their  existence;  nor  can  he  preserve  their  existence 
unless  he  abstains  from  touching  them.  God  having 
established  all  things  upon  the  foundations  on  which 
they  firmly  rest,  any  change  of  his  mode  of  ordaining 
and  placing  them  necessarily  brings  with  it  a  loss  of 
equilibrium.  The  only  peoples  who  have  been  at  the 
same  time  respectful  and  free,  the  only  governments 
that  have  united  moderation  and  strength,  are  those  in 
whose  formation  the  hand  of  man  is  not  visible,  and 
whose  institutions  are  the  result  of  that  slow  and  pro¬ 
gressive  growth  which  characterizes  everything  that  has 
stability  in  the  domains  of  time  and  of  history. 

This  great  power,  which  has  been  denied  to  man,  not 
without  a  deep  design,  resides  in  God  in  a  special  and  ex¬ 
clusive  manner.  Through  this  power  all  that  leaves  the 
hand  of  God  leaves  it  in  a  perfect  state  of  equilibrium, 
and  all  that  remains  as  established  by  God,  maintains 
its  perfect  equipoise.  Without  seeking  elsewhere  for 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


235 


illustrations  of  this  truth,  the  very  question  we  are  dis¬ 
cussing  will  suffice  to  place  it  beyond  all  doubt. 

The  law  of  solidarity  is  so  universal,  that  it  is  mani¬ 
fested  in  all  human  associations,  and  men  cannot  unite 
to  form  a  society  without  falling  under  the  jurisdiction 
of  this  inexorable  law.  Through  his  ancestors,  man  is 
in  a  union  of  solidarity  with  past  ages;  through  the 
successive  duration  of  his  own  acts,  and  through  his 
descendants,  he  enters  into  communion  with  future  ages, 
and  as  an  individual  and  a  member  of  domestic  society 
the  solidarity  of  the  family  weighs  upon  him.  As  a 
priest  or  a  magistrate  he  enters  upon  a  communion  of 
rights  and  duties,  of  merits  and  demerits  in  common 
with  the  magistracy  or  the  priesthood.  As  a  member 
of  a  political  association  he  becomes  amenable  to  the 
law  of  a  national  solidarity,  and  finally,  in  his  character 
as  man,  the  law  of  human  solidarity  reaches  him.  And 
notwithstanding  that  he  is  responsible  in  so  many  dif¬ 
ferent  ways,  he  preserves  his  personal  responsibility 
whole  and  intact,  which  none  other  diminishes,  restrains, 
or  absorbs.  He  may  be  virtuous,  although  a  member 
of  an  offending  family;  uncorrupted  and  incorruptible, 
although  belonging  to  a  depraved  society;  a  prevarica¬ 
tor,  although  a  member  of  an  irreproachable  magistracy ; 
and  a  reprobate,  although  a  member  of  a  holy  priest¬ 
hood.  Yet  this  high  power  which  has  been  granted  to 
man,  of  withdrawing  from  this  solidarity  by  an  exercise 
of  his  sovereign  will,  does  not  in  anything  alter  the 
principle  in  virtue  of  which,  in  matters  in  general,  and 
without  diminution  of  his  liberty,  man  is  what  the  family 
is  in  which  he  is  born,  and  what  the  society  is  where 
he  lives  and  breathes. 

Such  has  been,  throughout  the  duration  of  historic 


236 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


ages,  the  universal  belief  of  the  world;  for  even  after 
having  lost  the  traces  of  divine  tradition,  men  have  pre¬ 
served  the  consciousness  of  this  law  of  solidarity.  If 
they  did  not  intelligently  contemplate  this  law  in  all  its 
grandeur,  and  even  when  they  remained  completely  igno¬ 
rant  of  the  depths  to  which  it  strikes  its  roots,  and  upon 
what  vast  foundations  it  is  based,  still  they  recognized 
it  by  instinct.  The  dogma  of  the  unity  of  the  human 
race  being  understood  only  by  the  people  of  God,  other 
nations  could  not  have  a  just  idea  of  the  unity  and  soli¬ 
darity  of  humanity;  but  if  they  could  not  apply  this 
law  to  mankind  who  were  ignorant  of  it,  they  proclaimed 
and  even  exaggerated  its  importance  in  all  their  politi¬ 
cal  and  domestic  associations. 

The  idea  of  the  mysterious  transmission  by  blood,  not 
only  of  physical  qualities,  but  likewise  of  other  qualities 
which  are  exclusively  in  the  soul,  of  itself  suffices  to 
explain  almost  all  the  institutions  of  antiquity — domes¬ 
tic  as  well  as  political  and  social.  This  idea  is  identical 
with  that  of  solidarity;  for  whatever  is  transmitted  in 
common  to  many,  constitutes  the  unity  of  those  to  whom 
it  is  transmitted,  so  that  to  affirm  of  many  that  they  are 
in  communion  with  each  other,  is  equivalent  to  affirming 
that  there  exists  a  solidarity  of  interests  among  them. 
Whenever  the  idea  of  the  hereditary  transmission  of 
physical  and  moral  qualities  prevails  among  a  people, 
their  institutions  are  necessarily  aristocratic.  For  this 
reason,  among  all  the  nations  of  antiquity  in  which  this 
idea  was  exclusive,  as  applied  to  certain  social  groups, 
it  was  not  modified  by  what  it  had  that  was  general  and 
democratic — that  is  to  say,  when  we  apply  it  to  all  men, 
they  will  constitute  themselves  aristocratically.  The 
more  powerful  races  subjugated  and  reduced  to  servitude 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


237 


the  inferior  races,  and  among  the  families  who  composed 
the  constitutive  groups  of  the  same  race,  those  who 
could  claim  the  most  illustrious  ancestry  assumed  power 
over  the  others.  Heroes  took  pleasure,  before  they 
engaged  in  any  contest,  in  extolling  the  glory  of  their 
blood.  Even  cities  based  their  rights  of  domination 
upon  their  genealogical  trees.  Aristotle  believed,  in 
common  with  the  rest  of  antiquity,  that  some  men  were 
born  with  the  right  to  command,  and  were  endowed  with 
the  necessary  qualities  for  so  doing;  and  that  they  re¬ 
ceived  both  that  right  and  these  qualities  by  hereditary 
transmission.  Correlative  with  this  general  belief  was  the 
universal  belief  that  there  existed  among  nations  cursed 
and  disinherited  races,  who  w'ere  incapable  of  transmit¬ 
ting  through  generation  any  quality  or  any  right ;  and 
were  forever  condemned  to  legitimate  and  perpetual 
slavery.  The  democracy  of  Athens  was  nothing  but  an 
insolent  and  turbulent  aristocracy,  to  whom  an  enslaved 
multitude  were  subjected.  The  Iliad  of  Homer,  an  en- 
cyclopedian  monument  of  pagan  wisdom,  is  the  genea¬ 
logical  book  of  the  gods  and  heroes,  and,  considered 
under  this  aspect,  is  only  the  most  splendid  of  all  the 
nobiliaries. 

This  idea  of  solidarity  was  disastrous  among  the 
ancients  only  because  it  was  incomplete.  The  various 
social,  political,  and  domestic  solidarities  not  being 
hierarchically  subordinate  among  themselves,  through 
the  human  solidarity  which  has  ordained  them  all  and 
placed  them  within  limits,  because  it  includes  them  all, 
could  only  produce  w^ars,  confusion,  conflagrations,  and 
catastrophes.  Mankind  had,  under  the  sway  of  pagan 
solidarity,  fallen  into  a  state  of  universal  and  permanent 
war ;  and  antiquity  presents  no  other  spectacle  than 

21* 


238 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


that  of  nations  destroyed  by  nations,  kingdoms  by  king¬ 
doms,  races  by  races,  families  by  families,  and  cities  by 
cities.  The  gods  combated  with  the  gods,  men  with 
men,  and  not  unfrequently  the  immortals,  attracted  by 
the  disorder,  descended  from  Olympus  to  take  part  in 
the  quarrels  of  men.  Among  the  diverse  associations 
in  the  same  city  there  is  not  one  which  does  not  attempt 
to  exercise,  first  over  its  own  members,  and  then  over 
other  associations,  a  domineering  and  absorbing  action. 
In  the  domestic  association  the  personality  of  the  child 
is  absorbed  by  the  personality  of  the  father,  and  that  of 
the  woman  by  that  of  the  man ;  the  child  becomes  a 
mere  nonentity,  the  woman  is  reduced  to  an  unending 
state  of  tutelage,  and  is  condemned  to  a  perpetual  dis¬ 
grace  ;  while  the  father,  who  is  master  of  the  child  and 
of  the  woman,  converts  his  power  into  tyranny.  Over¬ 
ruling  the  tyranny  of  the  father  is  that  of  the  state, 
which  alike  absorbs  the  woman,  the  child,  and  the 
father,  and  annihilates  in  effect  the  domestic  associa¬ 
tion.  Among  the  nations  of  antiquity,  patriotism  itself 
is  merely  a  declaration  of  war  made  by  a  certain  race, 
who  have  constituted  themselves  a  nation,  against  the 
rest  of  mankind. 

If  we  pass  from  the  ages  of  antiquity  to  the  present 
times,  we  shall  see  on  the  one  hand  the  perpetuity  of  the 
idea  contained  in  this  dogma ;  and  on  the  other,  the  con¬ 
tinuance  of  the  disorders  we  have  depicted,  which  must 
inevitably  occur  in  proportion  to  any  departure  from  the 
Catholic  dogma. 

The  rationalistic  school  both  denies  and  concedes  this 
dogma,  and  it  is  alike  absurd,  whether  it  denies  or  re¬ 
ceives  it.  In  the  first  place,  it  denies  human  solidarity, 
both  in  the  religious  and  in  the  political  order — in  the 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM.  239 

religious  order,  by  denying  the  doctrine  of  the  heredit¬ 
ary  transmission  of  sin  and  penalty,  which  is  the  exclu¬ 
sive  foundation  of  this  dogma ;  and  it  denies  it  in  the 
political  order,  by  proclaiming  maxims  subversive  of  the 
doctrine  of  the  solidarity  of  nations.  Among  these 
maxims  that  one  requires  a  special  notice  which  declares 
the  principle  of  non-intervention,  and  also  that  other, 
which  is  its  correlative,  and  according  to  which  each 
person  ought  only  to  attend  to  his  own  affairs,  and  no 
one  ought  to  concern  himself  about  the  affairs  of  his 
neighbor.  These  maxims  are  identical,  and  are  only 
the  pure  expression  of  pagan  egotism,  without  the  ani¬ 
mosity  of  its  malevolence.  A  people  formed  by  the 
enervating  doctrines  of  this  school  will  hold  no  sym¬ 
pathies  in  common  with  other  nations ;  and  if  they  do 
not  consider  all  other  nations  as  their  enemies,  it  is 
because  they  have  not  the  energy  to  do  so. 

The  rationalist  liberal  schools  deny  the  solidarity  of 
the  family;  they  proclaim  the  principle  of  the  legiti¬ 
mate  qualification  of  all  men  for  all  public  offices  and  for 
all  state  preferments ;  and  in  doing  this,  they  deny  the 
action  of  ancestors  upon  their  descendants,  and  the  com¬ 
munication  of  the  qualities  of  the  first  to  the  second  by 
hereditary  transmission.  But  while  they  deny  this  trans¬ 
mission,  they  at  the  same  time  recognize  it  in  two  dif¬ 
ferent  ways:  first,  by  proclaiming  the  perpetual  identity 
of  nations ;  and  secondly,  by  proclaiming  the  principle 
of  an  hereditary  monarchy.  The  principle  of  national 
identity  either  signifies  nothing,  or  it  means  that  there 
is  a  community  of  merits  and  demerits,  of  glories  and 
disasters,  of  talents  and  adaptations,  between  past  and 
present  generations,  between  the  present  and  the  future ; 
and  this  same  community  is  altogether  inexplicable,  un- 


240 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


less  we  consider  it  as  the  result  of  an  hereditary  trans¬ 
mission.  On  the  other  hand,  an  hereditary  monarchy, 
considered  as  a  fundamental  institution  of  state,  is  a 
contradictory  and  absurd  institution,  if  we  deny  the 
virtue  of  transmission  by  blood,  which  is  the  constitutive 
principle  of  all  the  historic  aristocracies. 

Finally,  the  rationalist  liberal  school,  in  its  repulsive 
materialism,  attributes  to  riches,  which  are  transferable, 
the  virtue  which  it  denies  to  blood,  which  is  transmitted. 
The  power  of  the  rich  appears  more  lawful  to  this  school 
than  the  power  of  the  noble. 

After  this  ephemeral  and  contradictory  school  come 
the  socialist  schools,  which,  while  they  accept  all  the 
principles  of  the  liberals,  at  the  same  time  deny  all  the 
consequences  they  deduce  from  them.  The  socialist 
schools  adopt  from  the  rationalist  liberal  school  the 
negation  of  the  solidarity  of  humanity,  in  the  political 
and  in  the  religious  order ;  and,  after  having  denied 
with  this  school  the  transmission  of  sin  and  of  penalty 
in  the  religious  order,  they  also  deny,  in  opposition  to 
it,  the  existence  of  sin  and  of  penalty.  After  having, 
in  the  political  order,  affirmed  with  this  school  the  prin¬ 
ciple  of  the  legitimate  aptitude  of  all  men  to  fill  all  the 
functions  and  dignities  of  the  state,  they  go  still  further, 
and  assert  that  this  principle  logically  brings  with  it 
the  suppression  of  an  hereditary  monarchy,  and  conse¬ 
quently  involves  the  destruction  of  the  monarchy  itself, 
which,  in  ceasing  to  be  hereditary,  becomes  a  dangerous 
and  useless  institution.  After  this,  it  is  not  difficult  for 
them  to  prove,  the  native  equality  of  man  once  granted, 
that  this  equality  brings  with  it  the  suppression  of  all 
aristocratic  distinctions,  and  consequently  the  suppres¬ 
sion  of  the  electoral  census,  in  which  they  cannot  recog- 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


241 


nize,  without  an  evident  contradiction,  the  mysterious 
virtue  that  they  refuse  to  blood,  of  conferring  sovereign 
attributes.  The  people,  according  to  the  socialists,  have 
not  thrown  off  the  yoke  of  the  Pharaohs,  in  order  to 
submit  to  that  of  the  tyrants  of  Babylon  or  of  Assyria ; 
nor  are  they  so  utterly  destitute  of  power  and  right, 
that  they  will  deliver  themselves  up  to  the  rapacity  of 
the  rich,  after  having  freed  themselves  from  the  tyranny 
of  the  insolent  nobles.  They  consider  that  the  liberal 
school  is  guilty  of  a  manifest  absurdity  when  it  denies 
the  solidarity  of  the  family,  (which  the  socialists  like¬ 
wise  reject,)  and  afterward  admits  the  solidarity  of  the 
nation.  The  socialists  accept  the  first  of  these  prin¬ 
ciples  in  common  with  the  liberals,  but  they  absolutely 
deny  the  second  as  contradictory  of  the  first,  and  they 
assert  both  the  perfect  equality  of  all  nations  and  of 
all  men. 

From  these  principles  result  the  following  conse¬ 
quences  :  All  men  being  entirely  and  perfectly  equal, 
it  is  absurd  to  distribute  them  in  groups,  since  this  mode 
of  distribution  can  have  no  other  foundation  than  the 
solidarity  of  these  same  groups ;  and  the  liberal  schools 
reject  this  solidarity,  as  the  perpetual  source  of  inequal¬ 
ity  among  men.  If  this  is  accepted,  the  logical  deduc¬ 
tion  is  the  dissolution  of  the  family;  and  this  conse¬ 
quence  is  so  unavoidably  deduced  from  all  the  theories 
and  principles  of  liberalism,  that  without  it  these  prin¬ 
ciples  cannot  be  realized  in  political  associations.  They 
will  in  vain  proclaim  the  idea  of  equality.  This  idea 
will  not  take  root  so  long  as  the  family  remains.  The 
family  is  a  tree  of  so  superior  a  growth  that  its  wonderful 
fecundity  perpetually  produces  the  idea  of  a  nobility. 

But  the  destruction  of  the  family  necessarily  involves 


242 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


the  destruction  of  the  right  of  property.  Man  cannot 
be  a  possessor,  in  his  own  right,  of  the  soil,  for  a  very 
good  reason :  we  cannot  conceive  of  the  ownership  of 
a  thing  without  there  existing  a  certain  kind  of  pro¬ 
portion  between  the  proprietor  and  the  thing  owned ; 
and  between  the  soil  and  the  man  none  whatever  can 
exist.  In  order  fully  to  prove  this,  it  is  sufficient  to 
observe  that  man  is  a  transitory  being,  and  land  a 
thing  which  never  dies  or  passes  away.  This  being  the 
case,  it  is  contrary  to  human  reason  that  the  earth 
should  become  the  property  of  man,  considered  indi¬ 
vidually.  The  institution  of  property  is  absurd  if  you 
suppress  the  institution  of  the  family ;  for  the  reason  of 
its  existence  must  either  rest  in  itself,  or  in  other  cor¬ 
porations  which  are  similar  to  it,  as  are  the  religious 
orders.  The  earth,  which  never  dies,  cannot  be  pos¬ 
sessed  except  by  a  religious  or  a  family  association, 
which,  like  it,  never  passes  away.  The  liberal  school 
implicitly  suppresses  the  domestic  association,  the  fam¬ 
ily;  and  it  explicitly  suppresses  the  religious  associa¬ 
tion,  or  at  least  the  monastic  association,  from  which 
proceeds  the  destruction  of  the  right  of  property  in  the 
soil,  as  a  logical  consequence  of  their  principles.  This 
destruction  is  so  inevitably  a  consequence  of  the  prin¬ 
ciples  of  the  liberal  school,  that  it  has  always  signalized 
the  period  of  its  domination  by  the  confiscation  of  the 
property  of  the  Church,  and  by  the  suppression  of  re¬ 
ligious  institutions  and  the  rights  of  primogeniture.  Nor 
does  it  seem  aware  of  the  fact,  that  by  these  acts  of  con¬ 
fiscation  and  suppression  it  effects  but  little  as  regards 
the  assertion  of  its  principles;  while,  as  regards  its  inter¬ 
ests  as  a  proprietor,  it  goes  too  far.  The  liberal  school, 
which  is  far  from  being  learned,  has  never  understood 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


248 


that  the  earth,  in  order  to  be  susceptible  of  appropria¬ 
tion,  must  fall  into  hands  which  could  perpetually  pre¬ 
serve  its  ownership ;  and  consequently,  that  the  suppres¬ 
sion  of  all  rights  of  primogeniture  and  the  expropriation 
of  the  property  of  the  Church,  and,  added  to  this,  the 
interdiction  to  the  Church  of  the  right  of  acquisition,  is 
equivalent  to  the  irrevocable  condemnation  of  the  right 
of  property.  Neither  has  this  school  ever  compre¬ 
hended  that,  rigorously  and  logically  speaking,  the 
earth  cannot  be  the  object  of  individual,  but  only  of 
social  appropriation,  and  that  this  last  form  of  appro¬ 
priation  can  only  exist  under  the  monastic  form,  or 
under  the  domestic  form  of  primogeniture,  which,  con¬ 
sidered  in  the  light  of  perpetuity,  are  essentially  the 
same  thing,  since  both  have  an  unending  existence. 
The  abolition  of  all  civil  and  ecclesiastical  mortmain, 
so  vehemently  insisted  on  by  the  liberals,  will  bring 
with  it  sooner  or  later,  but  at  no  distant  day,  a  uni¬ 
versal  divestiture  of  property.  Then  the  liberal  school 
wdll  learn  what  it  now  ignores,  that  no  right  of  property 
can  exist  except  what  is  found  in  mortmain,  and  it  will 
then  comprehend  that  the  earth,  which  is  of  itself  per¬ 
petual,  cannot  become  the  subject-matter  of  appropria¬ 
tion  for  the  living,  who  pass  away,  but  for  the  dead,  who 
live  always. 

When  the  socialists,  after  denying  that  the  family  asso¬ 
ciation  is  an  implicit  deduction  from  the  axioms  of  the 
liberal  school,  and  that  the  Church  has  a  right  to  acquire 
property,  a  principle  recognized  by  them  and  by  the  lib¬ 
erals;  when,  after  denying  this,  they  deny  the  right  of 
property,  they  finish  the  work  of  the  professedly  candid 
doctors  of  liberalism  ;  for  communism,  after  having  sup¬ 
pressed  the  right  of  individual  ownership,  proclaims  the 


244 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


state  to  be  the  universal  and  absolute  proprietor  of  all 
property.  Although,  as  respects  true  principles,  this 
idea  is  monstrous,  yet,  if  we  admit  the  views  of  the 
liberal  school,  it  is  not  absurd.  To  be  convinced  of 
this,  it  is  only  requisite  to  reflect,  that  if,  in  accordance 
with  these  principles,  the  dissolution  of  the  family  is 
once  consummated,  the  question  of  the  right  of  property 
rests  solely  between  individuals  and  the  state.  If  we 
consider  the  subject  under  this  aspect,  it  is  clear  that 
the  titles  of  the  state  are  superior  to  those  of  indi¬ 
viduals,  inasmuch  as  those  of  the  first  are  by  their 
nature  perpetual,  and  those  of  the  second  cannot  last 
longer  than  the  family  association. 

From  the  principle  of  the  perfect  equality  of  all  na¬ 
tions,  as  a  logical  deduction  from  the  principles  of  the 
liberal  school,  the  socialists  infer,  or  I  infer  for  them, 
the  following  consequences:  as  from  the  entire  equality 
of  all  the  families  who  compose  the  state,  the  liberal 
school  deduces,  as  a  logical  consequence,  the  non-exist¬ 
ence  of  the  solidarity  of  the  domestic  association ;  in  the 
same  way,  and  for  the  same  reason,  from  the  perfect 
equality  in  the  bosom  of  humanity  of  all  nations,  results 
the  negation  of  the  doctrine  of  a  political  solidarity. 
But  if  the  nation  has  no  solidarity,  we  are  compelled 
to  deny  of  it  what  we  logically  deny  of  the  family, 
in  the  supposition  of  its  having  no  solidarity.  In 
depriving  the  family  of  its  solidarity,  we  destroy,  in 
the  first  place,  that  secret  and  mysterious  link  which 
unites  the  present  with  past  and  future  ages,  and 
consequently  we  deprive  it  of  that  which  it  holds  as 
its  imprescriptible  right,  that  of  participating  in  the  re¬ 
nown  of  its  ancestors,  and  likewise  the  power  to  trans¬ 
mit  to  its  descendants  a  reflection  of  its  own  glory.  Pur- 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


245 


suing  this  argument,  we  must  deny  to  the  nation  deprived 
of  solidarity,  what  we  deny  to  the  family  deprived  of  soli¬ 
darity;  that  is,  we  must  despoil  it  of  all  connecting  links 
of  the  present  with  past  and  future  ages,  so  that  nothing 
remains  of  its  past  glories,  nor  can  it  have  any  claims 
to  fame  in  the  future.  A  consequence  of  denying  the 
solidarity  of  the  family,  is  the  destruction  in  man  of  that 
love  of  home  which  constitutes  the  happiness  of  domestic 
society;  and  this  must  logically  be  attended  with  a  simi¬ 
lar  result  for  the  nation,  namely,  the  radical  destruction 
of  that  love  of  country  which  elevates  the  citizen  above 
himself,  and  impels  him  to  undertake  the  most  heroic 
actions. 

Thus,  the  negation  of  the  dogma  of  solidarity  involves 
the  following  results,  both  in  the  domestic  and  the  polit¬ 
ical  association :  The  suppression  of  all  love  of  family 
and  of  patriotism,  which  is  love  of  country;  the  destruc¬ 
tion  of  all  continuity  in  time  and  of  all  continuity  of 
glory;  and  lastly,  the  entire  dissolution  of  domestic  and 
of  political  society,  which  can  neither  exist  nor  be 
conceived  without  a  connecting  link  between  different 
eras,  without  a  common  inheritance  of  glory,  and  with¬ 
out  a  communion  of  these  two  great  affections  which 
control  mankind. 

The  socialist  schools  are  more  logical  than  the  liberal 
school,  but  they  are  not  so  much  so  as  they  would  seem 
to  be  at  first  sight,  and  they  do  not  pursue  their  prin¬ 
ciples,  from  consequence  to  consequence,  up  to  an  ulti¬ 
mate  conclusion.  This  conclusion,  however,  if  we  admit 
their  premises,  not  only  proceeds  from  these  premises, 
but  is  a  logical  necessity  arising  from  their  adoption. 
The  proof  of  this  is  found  in  the  universally  received 
fact,  that  the  socialists  are  in  practice  what  they  refuse 

22 


246 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


to  acknowledge  themselves  to  be  in  theory.  Theoret¬ 
ically,  they  remain  Frenchmen,  Italians,  and  Germans ; 
practically,  they  are  citizens  of  the  world,  and,  like  the 
world,  their  country  has  no  boundaries.  In  their  fatu¬ 
ity,  they  ignore  that,  when  all  boundaries  are  removed, 
there  is  no  longer  a  country;  and  where  there  is  no 
country  there  are  no  men,  except,  indeed,  they  may 
happen  to  be  socialists. 

Among  parties  who  combat  for  supremacy,  the  victory 
belongs,  of  right,  to  the  most  logical.  This  ought  to  be 
so  in  principle,  and  is  so  in  fact,  as  is  proved  by  a  uni¬ 
versal  and  constant  experience.  Humanly  speaking, 
Catholicism  owes  its  success  to  the  soundness  of  its 
logic,  and,  if  it  were  not  led  by  the  hand  of  God,  its 
logic  would  suffice  to  make  it  triumph  even  to  the  re¬ 
motest  corners  of  the  world.  This  will  more  clearly 
appear  in  the  following  chapter. 


CHAPTER  IY. 

Continuation  of  the  same  subject— Socialist  contradictions. 

The  liberal  school,  as  we  have  demonstrated  in  the 
preceding  chapter,  has  established  the  premises  from 
which  are  drawn  socialist  deductions ;  and  the  socialist 
schools  have  only  drawn  the  consequences  that  result 
from  the  premises  of  the  liberal  school.  The  two  schools 
are  not  distinguished  by  their  respective  ideas,  but  by 
the  greater  or  less  degree  of  boldness  with  which  they 
proclaim  them.  The  question  between  them  being  thus 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


247 


placed,  it  is  evident  that  to  the  most  fearless  belongs 
the  victory,  and  the  most  intrepid  is  undoubtedly  the 
one  which,  without  stopping  half  way,  accepts  principles 
with  their  consequences.  To  the  socialists,  then,  must 
be  awarded  a  definitive  victory  in  this  discussion. 

The  rigorous  logic  which  they  claim  to  make  use  of, 
and  of  which  they  have  made  an  ostentatious  display  in 
their  controversies  with  the  liberal  school,  have  acquired 
for  them  a  considerable  reputation  for  being  logical  and 
consistent,  which,  if  it  is  up  to  a  certain  point  justly  due 
them,  is  far  from  being  fully  so.  To  be  more  logical 
than  the  most  illogical  and  contradictory  of  all  the 
schools,  is  but  a  slight  distinction,  and  one  of  little 
importance.  The  socialists  must  establish  their  repu¬ 
tation  upon  higher  grounds,  if  they  "would  really  merit 
it.  They  must  not  only  demonstrate  that  they  are  rela¬ 
tively  logical  and  consistent,  but  they  must  also  be  so 
absolutely.  Then  they  must  not  only  prove  that  their 
reasoning  is  absolutely  logical  and  consistent,  but  that 
it  is  also  founded  on  true  premises;  because,  to  be  logical 
and  consistent  in  error,  is  only  a  special  manner  of  being 
illogical  and  inconsistent.  There  can  be  no  true  logic 
nor  real  consistency  except  in  absolute  truth. 

Now  socialism  fails  to  meet  either  of  these  conditions. 
It  is  contradictory  because  it  is  not  one,  as  is  shown  by 
the  variety  of  its  schools,  which  are  symbolic  of  the 
diversity  of  its  doctrines ;  and  it  is  inconsistent,  be¬ 
cause,  like  the  liberal  school,  it  refuses  to  accept,  though 
not  to  the  same  extent,  all  the  consequences  arising 
from  its  principles ;  and  finally,  it  is  untrue,  for  its 
premises  are  false,  and  the  inferences  deduced  from 
them  are  absurd. 

That  socialism  cannot  accept  all  the  consequences  of 


248 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


its  own  principles,  we  have  already  seen  in  the  preceding 
chapter,  where  we  have  proved  that  it  has  not  admitted, 
as  a  logical  result  of  the  negation  of  all  solidarity,  the 
dissolution  of  political  society,  but  has  only  proposed 
the  annihilation  of  the  domestic  association.  It  is  gen¬ 
erally  supposed  that  socialism  invokes  its  own  destruc¬ 
tion,  by  the  extreme  consequences  it  deduces  from  its 
principles;  but  I  am  of  opinion  that  it  will  happen  quite 
otherwise,  and  that  the  modesty  of  its  demands  will 
prove  fatal  to  it.  For  example,  with  regard  to  the 
present  question,  good  logic  requires  that  it  should  de¬ 
mand  that  a  nation  should  change  its  name  with  each 
successive  generation.  If  we  accept  the  doctrine  of 
solidarity,  I  can  readily  understand  that  the  national 
name  should  be  one,  since  the  nation  remains  a  unit 
throughout  the  entire  duration  of  its  history.  That  the 
nation  which  was  governed  by  Clovis  should  continue  to 
bear  the  same  name  under  Louis  Philippe  is  readily  under¬ 
stood,  and  not  only  conceivable,  but  very  natural,  and 
not  only  natural,  but  it  becomes  necessary  from  the 
moment  that  we  admit  the  solidarity  of  the  French 
nation,  in  which  there  exists  a  communion  of  glories 
and  disasters,  uniting  the  past  with  the  present  and 
future  generations.  But  what  is  intelligible,  natural, 
and  necessary,  according  to  the  doctrine  of  solidarity, 
is  unintelligible,  absurd,  and  unnatural,  if  we  admit  the 
doctrine  that  every  generation  interrupts  the  continuity 
of  national  renown,  and  of  the  course  of  time.  This 
system  presents  to  us  as  many  different  families  and 
nations  as  there  are  generations ;  and  logic  exacts  in 
this  case  that  the  names,  which  are  the  expression  of 
things,  should  be  subjected  to  the  same  vicissitudes  as 
the  things  themselves.  Therefore,  with  each  successive 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


249 


generation  there  should  be  a  corresponding  change  in 
the  names  of  families  and  nations.  That  this  deduction 
presents  a  conclusion  which  is  both  ludicrous  and  absurd 
no  one  can  deny,  but  the  grotesque  and  absurd  are  the 
logical  consequences  of  the  principle  announced  by  the 
socialists ;  and  this  is  precisely  what  we  have  under¬ 
taken  to  demonstrate.  It  only  then  remains  for  social¬ 
ism  to  choose  the  manner  of  its  death,  as  between  the 
illogical  and  the  absurd. 

The  socialist  schools  have  had  no  difficulty  in  proving 
that  if  the  liberal  school  rejects  a  domestic,  political,  and 
religious  solidarity,  it  must  also  deny  the  solidarity  of 
the  nation  and  of  the  monarchy;  and  that  they  ought 
of  necessity  to  suppress  in  the  national  common  law  the 
institution  of  the  monarchy,  and  in  the  international 
common  law  the  constitutive  differences  of  nations.  But 
the  socialist  schools,  with  an  inconsistency  beyond  that 
of  the  liberal  school,  (absurd  and  contradictory  as  this 
school  is,)  afterward  acknowledge  the  highest,  most  uni¬ 
versal,  and  most  inconceivable,  humanly  speaking,  of  all 
solidarities,  that  is  to  say,  the  solidarity  of  humanity. 
The  motto  of  liberty,  equality,  and  fraternity,  as  the 
common  patrimony  of  all  men,  either  signifies  nothing, 
or  it  means  that  there  is  a  solidarity  in  humanity.  The 
recognition  of  this  solidarity-,  separated  from  the  others, 
and  from  the  religious  dogma  which  teaches  and  ex¬ 
pounds  it,  is  an  act  of  faith  so  supernatural  and  entire, 
that  I  cannot  even  conceive  of  it,  accustomed  as  I  am, 
being  a  Catholic,  to  believe  what  I  do  not  understand. 

To  believe  in  the  equality  of  all  men,  when  I  see  them 
all  unequal ;  to  believe  in  the  existence  of  liberty,  when 
I  behold  servitude  everywhere  established ;  to  believe 
that  all  men  are  brothers,  when  history  teaches  me  that 


250 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


they  are  enemies ;  to  believe  that  there  is  a  common 
inheritance  of  misfortune  and  glory  for  all  men,  when 
I  can  discover  only  individual  misfortune  and  glory ; 
to  believe  that  I  only  exist  for  humanity,  when  I  have 
the  inherent  consciousness  that  I  refer  humanity  to  my¬ 
self  ;  to  believe  that  this  same  humanity  is  the  center 
toward  which  I  refer  all  my  actions,  when  I  make  myself 
my  own  center ;  and  finally,  to  believe  that  I  ought  to 
believe  all  these  things,  when  those  who  propose  them 
to  me  as  the  objects  of  belief  assert  that  I  should  only 
believe  in  my  reason,  which  rejects  them  all, — there  is 
in  all  this  so  great  a  disproportion,  and  so  inconceivable 
an  aberration,  that  I  am  overwhelmed,  and  as  it  were 
stupefied  with  amazement.  And  my  astonishment  in¬ 
creases  when  I  perceive,  that  the  very  men  who  affirm 
the  solidarity  of  humanity  reject  the  solidarity  of  the 
family,  which  is  equivalent  to  asserting  that  enemies  are 
brothers,  and  that  brothers  ought  not  to  be  united  in  a 
fraternal  bond.  When  the  same  men  who  affirm  the 
solidarity  of  humanity  deny  a  political  solidarity,  they 
affirm  that  we  hold  nothing  in  common  with  our  fellow- 
citizens,  and  everything  in  common  with  strangers. 
When  these  men  who  affirm  the  solidarity  of  humanity 
deny  the  solidarity  of  religion,  they  affirm  the  effect  and 
deny  the  cause.  From  all  this  results  the  logical  deduc¬ 
tion,  that  the  socialist  schools  are  both  illogical  and 
absurd.  They  are  illogical  because,  after  having  demon¬ 
strated,  in  opposition  to  the  liberal  school,  that  one  can¬ 
not  reject  certain  solidarities  and  admit  others,  they  yet 
fall  into  this  very  error  when  they  accept  one  alone  and 
reject  all  the  others.  They  are  absurd,  because  the  very 
dogma  which  they  admit  is  precisely  one  of  those  dogmas 
which  surpasses  reason,  and  which  faith  alone  can  im- 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


251 


pose ;  and  because  this  very  proposition  is  made  by 
those  who  reject  faith,  and  proclaim  the  imprescriptible 
right  of  reason  to  an  entire  independence  and  a  sover¬ 
eign  rule. 

The  socialist  schools  would,  I  think,  be  greatly  em¬ 
barrassed  if  their  dogmas  were  subjected  to  a  rigorous 
examination,  and  a  categorical  answer  exacted  from 
them,  of  the  following  direct  question:  From  what  do 
you  infer  that  there  exists  a  solidarity  among  men,  and 
that  they  are  brothers,  equal  and  free  ?  This  same  dif¬ 
ficulty  also  arises  for  a  Catholic  solution,  and  receives 
one,  for  Catholicism  admits  the  obligation  of  answering 
all  questions  propounded  to  it ;  but  socialism,  the  most 
rationalistic  of  all  the  schools,  does  not  acknowledge  the 
same  obligation,  and  it  leaves  the  objection  unanswered, 
although  it  is  especially  directed  against  its  doctrine. 
These  abstract  formulas  have  certainly  not  found  their 
solution  in  history.  If  history  sustains  any  philosoph¬ 
ical  system,  it  is  not,  assuredly,  that  which  proclaims 
the  solidarity,  liberty,  equality,  and  fraternity  of  man¬ 
kind,  but  rather  that  formula  so  forcibly  expressed 
by  Hobbes,  which  declares  universal,  incessant,  and 
simultaneous  war  to  be  the  natural  and  primitive  state 
of  man. 

Man  would  seem  to  be,  from  his  birth,  under  the  mys¬ 
terious  power  of  some  malefic  influence,  and  destined  to 
endure  an  inexorable  condemnation ;  all  that  surrounds 
him  appears  to  oppose  him,  and  he  is  in  antagonism  with 
all  things.  The  first  breath  of  air  which  blows  upon 
him,  the  first  rays  of  the  sun  which  strike  him,  are  but 
the  beginning  of  the  war  waged  against  him  by  exterior 
forces.  All  his  vital  energies  rebel  against  their  dis¬ 
tressing  pressure,  and  his  whole  existence  is  filled  with 


252 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 

lamentations.  The  greater  number  do  not  survive  this 
infancy  of  sorrow,  but  are  cut  olf  by  death.  Those  who 
are  able  to  resist  the  early  trials  of  life,  only  do  so  to 
enter  upon  the  path  of  their  dolorous  passion;  and,  after 
unceasing  combats  and  many  afflictions,  they  ultimately 
reach  the  final  catastrophe,  overcome  with  weariness  and 
crushed  by  suffering.  The  earth  is  harsh  and  insatiable 
toward  them;  she  exacts  their  efforts,  that  is  to  say, 
their  life;  and  in  exchange  for  the  life  she  takes  from 
them,  she  scarcely  proffers  a  drop  of  water  from  her 
fountains  to  allay  their  thirst,  or  a  single  grain  of  wheat 
from  her  treasures,  to  appease  their  hunger.  Nor  does 
she  even  thus  prolong  their  life  that  they  may  live,  but 
that  they  may  continue  to  give  her  their  labor ;  like  the 
tyrant,  who  only  sustains  his  slaves  in  order  that  he  may 
a  longer  time  enjoy  the  fruit  of  their  servitude.  We 
everywhere  behold  the  feeble,  victims  of  the  tyranny  of 
the  strong. 

A  woman  who  was  distinguished  by  her  talents,  wish¬ 
ing  to  give  a  convincing  proof  of  her  genius,  asked  her¬ 
self  one  day  what  would  be  the  greatest  and  most  remark¬ 
able  of  paradoxes  ;  nor  could  she  find  one  more  surprising 
than  to  affirm,  with  a  tone  of  authority,  that  slavery  is  of 
modern  and  liberty  of  ancient  existence.  Whether,  by 
dint  of  repetition,  she  forced  herself  to  believe  this  asser¬ 
tion,  I  cannot  tell,  but  it  is  certain  that  the  world  received 
her  affirmation,  and,  what  is  more,  the  world  is  quite  ca¬ 
pable  of  so  foolish  an  act  of  faith.  As  to  the  idea  of 
equality,  I  know  not  if  it  be  possible,  (but,  what  is 
impossible  to  a  rationalist  philosopher?)  I  know  not  if 
it  be  possible  for  this  idea  to  have  found  its  historic  and 
philosophic  origin  in  the  division  of  mankind  into  castes, 
the  ones  invested,  as  by  right,  with  the  power  to  com- 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


253 


mand,  and  the  others  condemned  to  obey,  the  latter  con¬ 
stantly  seeking  occasions  for  revolutions  and  war,  and  the 
former  making  use  of  tyrannical  means  to  assure  their 
supremacy.  The  idea  of  fraternity  undoubtedly  arose 
during  those  lengthened  periods  of  peace  and  prosperity 
which  form  the  golden  thread  of  history.  As  to  the  idea 
of  solidarity,  who  does  not  see  from  whence  it  came  ? 
Every  one  knows  that  the  Romans,  who  represent  an 
abridgment  of  all  antiquity,  gave  the  same  name  to 
foreigners  and  enemies.  This  name  was  undoubtedly 
symbolical  of  the  solidarity  of  humanity ! 

If  these  ideas  cannot  have  had  their  origin  in  history, 
whose  every  page,  blotted  with  tears  and  written  in 
blood,  condemns  and  refutes  them,  then  we  must  look 
for  them  either  in  those  primitive  ages  which  precede 
the  historic  times,  or  we  must  seek  them  directly  from 
pure  reason.  With  regard  to  this  latter  origin,  I  will 
assert,  without  fear  of  contradiction,  that  pure  reason 
can  only  find  its  exercise  in  things  of  pure  reason. 
But,  the  question  here  is  to  establish  what  are  the  con¬ 
stitutive  elements  of  human  nature:  it  is  not  a  subject 
for  the  investigations  of  unaided  reason,  but  a  fact, 
which  is  for  us  very  obscure,  and  requires  to  be  eluci¬ 
dated  by  careful  observation,  in  order  that  a  clearer 
light  may  be  obtained.  Respecting  that  primitive  era, 
which  was  anterior  to  the  ages  of  history,  it  is  clear 
that  we  can  have  no  knowledge  of  it,  except  through 
revelation.  This  granted,  I  am  authorized  to  put  my 
question  in  this  manner :  If  what  you  affirm  cannot 
originate  either  in  the  exercise  of  reason,  which  ignores 
it,  nor  in  history,  which  contradicts  it,  nor  in  an  era 
anterior  to  the  ages  of  history,  which  is  unknown  to 
you,  by  what  right,  then,  do  you  affirm  that  it  has  not 


254 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


been  revealed  ?  Who  has  told  you  so  ?  And  if  you  can 
nowhere  find  an  authority  for  your  opinion,  why  do  you 
make  such  an  affirmation  ?  Shakspeare  has  well  de¬ 
scribed  your  theories,  when  he  says :  they  are  words, 
words,  and  nothing  but  words  .  .  .  and  I  add,  words 
which  alike  destroy  those  who  utter  and  those  who  listen 
to  them. 

The  dogmas  of  Catholicism  have  a  potent  virtue  not 
to  be  found  in  the  affirmations  of  rationalism,  -which 
have  in  them  no  efficacy.  In  the  declarations  of  Ca¬ 
tholicism  rests  the  power  to  give  life  and  to  take  it 
away,  to  destroy  the  living  and  resuscitate  the  dead. 
These  words  are  never  uttered  in  vain,  nor  do  they  ever 
fail  to  inspire  terror,  because  none  can  tell  whether  they 
bring  life  or  death,  although  all  acknowledge  their  sover¬ 
eign  power.  Once,  at  the  decline  of  day,  when  the  shades 
of  evening  began  to  spread  a  veil  over  the  transparent  and 
tranquil  waters,  the  Saviour  entered  a  frail  bark,  accompa¬ 
nied  by  his  disciples ;  and,  while  our  Lord  slept,  overcome 
■with  weariness,  there  arose  a  frightful  tempest,  and  the 
vessel  being  in  danger  of  sinking,  the  disciples  began  to 
pray ;  when  the  Saviour,  awakening,  uttered  some  words, 
which  appeased  the  wind  and  the  sea.  Then,  turning  to 
his  disciples,  he  addressed  other  words  to  them,  and  they 
were  suddenly  seized  with  great  fear  and  trembling :  et 
timuerunt  timore  magno.  The  tempest  had  inspired 
them  with  less  awe  and  terror  than  the  words  of  the 
Saviour.  At  another  time,  two  men,  who  were  tormented 
by  demons,  presented  themselves  to  our  Saviour,  and  im¬ 
plored  his  mercy.  And  the  Lord  said  to  the  demons, 
Go.  The  devils,  obeying  his  voice,  departed  from  the 
men,  and  took  possession  of  some  unclean  animals,  when 
these  ran  violently  into  the  sea  and  perished  in  its  waters. 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


255 


Those  who  watched  the  herd  were  terrified  at  the  effect 
of  the  divine  word,  and  fled,  communicating  their  terror 
to  the  people  of  the  neighboring  village,  who  assembled, 
and  in  a  body  besought  the  Saviour  to  depart  from  the 
country :  Pastores  autem  fugerunt ,  et  venientes  in  civi- 
tatem ,  nuntiaverunt  omnia ,  et  de  eis  qui  demonia  liabu- 
erant:  et  ecce  tot  a  civitas  exiit  obviamJesu:  et  viso  eo 
rogaverunt  ut  transiret  a  finibus  eorum .*  The  omnipo¬ 
tence  of  the  divine  word  was  more  terrible  to  these 
people  than  the  enchantments  of  the  infernal  spirits. 

When  I  hear  a  divine,  that  is  to  say,  a  Catholic  doc¬ 
trine  announced,  I  immediately  pause,  and  consider 
what  it  portends,  as  I  know  that  it  most  assuredly  pro¬ 
claims  either  a  miracle  of  divine  justice  or  a  prodigy  of 
divine  mercy.  If  this  word  is  pronounced  by  the  Church, 
I  feel  that  it  announces  salvation ;  if  it  comes  from  any 
other  source,  it  threatens  death.  Ask  the  world  why  it 
is  filled  with  fear  and  terror ;  why  sad  and  distressing 
rumors  everywhere  prevail ;  why  this  anguish  and  dis¬ 
turbance  in  the  heart  of  nations,  which,  like  men  in  a 
troubled  dream,  feel  themselves  to  be  on  the  verge  of 
an  abyss,  into  which  they  must  fall.  To  ask  the  world 
this,  is  the  same  as  to  ask  why  men  are  alarmed,  when 
they  behold  a  madman  or  a  knave  enter  into  a  powder 
magazine  with  a  lighted  torch.  The  one  does  not  know, 
the  other  knows  too  well,  the  qualities  of  powder  and 
the  effect  produced  upon  it  by  fire.  What  has,  up  to 
the  present  day,  saved  the  world  is,  that  the  Church 
was  in  ancient  times  sufficiently  powerful  to  extirpate 
heresies.  These  heresies  principally  consisted  in  teach¬ 
ing  a  different  doctrine  from  that  of  the  Church,  and 


*  St.  Matthew,  viii.  38,  34. 


56 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


these  doctrines  were  hidden  under  the  very  terms  that 
she  makes  use  of.  They  would  long  since  have  brought 
about  the  final  catastrophe  of  the  world,  had  the  Church 
been  unable  to  eradicate  them.  The  real  danger  for 
human  society  commenced  when  the  great  heresy  of  the 
sixteenth  century  obtained  a  right  of  citizenship  in 
Europe.  Since  then  every  revolution  has  endangered 
the  life  of  society.  The  reason  for  this  is  that,  all  our 
revolutions  having  arisen  from  the  Protestant  heresy, 
they  are  substantially  heretical.  We  see  this  by  the 
attempt  they  all  make  to  give  a  reason  for  their  exist¬ 
ence,  and  to  render  it  legitimate  by  words  and  maxims 
taken  from  the  Scriptures.  The  sansculottism  of  the 
first  French  revolution  sought  its  historical  antecedents 
and  its  titles  of  nobility  in  the  humble  poverty  of  the 
meek  Lamb  of  God ;  and  among  its  votaries  were  found 
those  who  recognized  in  Marat  a  messiah,  and  his  apostle 
in  Robespierre.  The  revolution  of  1830  gave  rise  to  the 
doctrine  of  St.  Simon,  whose  mystical  extravagance  was 
the  announcement  of  a  kind  of  corrected  and  expurgated 
gospel.  The  doctrines  of  socialism,  expressed  in  evan¬ 
gelical  formulas,  gushed  forth,  like  an  impetuous  storm- 
swollen  torrent,  from  the  revolution  of  1848.  Previous 
to  the  sixteenth  century,  men  had  beheld  nothing  like  it. 
I  do  not  intend,  in  making  this  statement,  to  assert  that 
the  Catholic  world  had  not  suffered  great  tribulations, 
nor  that  the  Christian  societies  of  ancient  times  did  not 
experience  great  vicissitudes  and  trials ;  but  what  I  wish 
to  say  is,  that  these  fluctuations  were  not  powerful 
enough  to  overthrow  society,  and  that  these  sufferings 
did  not  endanger  its  life.  Now,  it  is  quite  otherwise.  A 
battle  is  lost  for  society  in  the  streets  of  Paris,  and  Euro¬ 
pean  society  is  suddenly  overthrown,  as  if  by  a  thunder¬ 
bolt  :  e  cadde  come  corpo  morto  cade. 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM.  257 

The  revolutions  of  modern  times  have,  then,  an  uncon¬ 
querable  and  destructive  force  which  the  revolutions  of 
ancient  times  did  not  possess;  and  this  destructive  force 
is  necessarily  satanic,  since  it  cannot  be  divine.  Before 
quitting  this  subject,  it  appears  to  me  opportune  to  make 
here  an  important  observation,  which  I  wish  to  suggest 
for  the  reflection  of  my  readers.  We  have  a  precise 
account  given  us  of  two  conversations  of  the  angel  of 
darkness :  the  one  was  held  with  Eve  in  the  terrestrial 
paradise,  and  the  other  with  the  Saviour  in  the  desert. 
In  the  first,  Satan  made  use  of  the  very  words  of  God, 
perverting  them  to  suit  himself ;  in  the  second,  he  quoted 
Scripture,  giving  it  his  own  interpretation.  Is  it  rash 
to  infer  that  as  the  word  of  God,  rightly  understood, 
has  alone  the  power  to  give  life,  so  that  word,  when 
perverted,  has  alone  the  power  to  cause  death?  If  this 
is  so,  does  it  not  fully  explain  why  the  revolutions  of 
modern  times,  in  which  the  word  of  God  is  more  or  less 
corrupted,  have  this  destructive  force? 

Resuming,  now,  the  investigation  of  the  socialist  con¬ 
tradictions,  we  contend  that  they  cannot  logically  deny 
a  religious,  domestic,  and  political  solidarity,  if,  as  we 
have  just  proved,  they  do  not  at  the  same  time  deny  the 
solidarity  of  humanity,  and  with  it  the  principles  of  lib¬ 
erty,  equality,  and  fraternity,  which  have  in  this  soli¬ 
darity  alone  their  cause  and  origin.  But,  as  the  rejec¬ 
tion  of  all  these  fundamental  doctrines  of  socialism 
involves  the  destruction  of  the  entire  edifice,  it  logically 
follows  that  socialism  cannot  be  consistent  if,  commenc¬ 
ing  by  the  negation  of  Catholicism,  it  does  not  conclude 
by  its  own  negation.  I  know  that,  in  professing  the 
dogma  of  human  solidarity,  the  socialists  are  far  from 
embracing  on  this  point  the  Catholic  doctrine.  I  know 

23 


258 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


that  between  these  two  doctrines  there  is  an  essential 
difference,  scarcely  concealed  by  an  identity  of  names. 
Humanity  exists  for  the  Catholic  in  the  individuals 
who  constitute  it ;  while  it  exists  for  the  socialist  in 
both  an  individual  and  concrete  manner ;  so  that, 
when  socialists  and  Catholics  affirm  the  solidarity  of 
humanity,  although  they  appear  to  assert  the  same 
thing,  they  really  affirm  two  different  things.  But  this 
does  not  prevent  the  socialist  contradiction  from  being  so 
conspicuous  that  it  is  impossible  to  deny  it.  Although, 
according  to  the  socialist  hypothesis,  humanity  is  the 
universal  intelligence  which  is  expressed  by  special 
groups  designated  as  families  and  nations,  yet  logic 
exacts  that  all  these  groups  should  obey  in  themselves, 
and  of  themselves,  its  own  law,  and  that  there  should 
be  a  solidarity  between  them,  if  its  law  is  that  of  soli¬ 
darity.  Hence,  the  necessity  of  either  denying  the 
solidarity  of  humanity,  or  of  affirming  it  also  in  indi¬ 
viduals,  families,  and  the  state.  There  is  nothing  clearer 
than  that  socialism  is  alike  incompatible  with  this  radical 
negation  and  with  this  absolute  affirmation.  To  deny 
the  solidarity  of  humanity  is  to  deny  socialism,  and  to 
affirm  the  solidarity  of  the  social  groups  is  to  deny 
it  in  another  way.  The  world  cannot  submit  to  the 
law  of  socialism  without  first  renouncing  the  laws  of 


reason. 

It  may  be  seen  from  what  we  have  just  established, 
how  little  the  socialist  doctors,  and  especially  the  most 
celebrated  among  them,  deserve  the  reputation  for  con¬ 
sistency  which  they  have  enjoyed.  Mr.  Proudhon,  in 
his  discussions  with  those  partisans  of  the  new  gospel  who 
advocate  the  system  of  the  expropriation  of  all  individ¬ 
ual  rights,  and  consequently  the  concentration  in  the 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM.  259 

state  of  all  domestic,  civil,  political,  social,  and  religious 
rights,  has  not  found  it  difficult  to  prove  that  communism, 
that  is  to  say,  governmentalism  elevated  to  its  highest 
power,  is  absurd  and  extravagant  regarded  in  the  point 
of  view  of  these  new  sectaries.  In  effect,  communism, 
considering  the  state  as  an  absolute  unity  which  concen¬ 
ters  in  itself  all  rights  and  absorbs  all  individuals,  must 
necessarily  consider  it  as  in  the  highest  degree  repre¬ 
senting  the  principle  of  solidarity,  as  unity  and  solidarity 
are  one  and  the  same  thing  viewed  under  two  different 
aspects.  Catholicism,  the  depositary  of  the  dogma  of 
solidarity,  always  derives  this  dogma  from  unity,  through 
which  it  is  alone  possible,  and  which  renders  it  necessary. 
Now,  as  the  starting-point  of  socialism  is  precisely  the 
negation  of  this  dogma,  it  is  clear  that  communism  con¬ 
tradicts  itself,  since  it  denies  it  in  theory  and  recognizes 
it  in  practice,  denies  it  in  its  principles  and  affirms 
it  in  its  applications.  If  the  negation  of  the  solidarity 
of  the  family  brings  with  it  the  negation  of  the  family, 
so  the  negation  of  political  solidarity  involves  the  nega¬ 
tion  of  all  government.  This  last  negation  proceeds 
equally  from  the  idea  held  by  socialism,  that  equality 
and  liberty  are  common  to  all  men  alike,  since  this 
equality  and  this  liberty  cannot  be  conceived  as  limited 
by  a  government,  but  only  by  the  free  action  and  the 
free  reaction  that  individuals  naturally  exercise  upon 
each  other.  Mr.  Proudhon  is  then  consistent  when  he 
says,  in  his  Confessions  of  a  Revolutionist :  “All  men 
are  free  and  equal.  Society  is  then,  as  well  by  its  na¬ 
ture  as  through  the  function  for  which  it  is  destined, 
autonomous,  that  is  to  say,  having  the  right  of  self- 
government.  The  sphere  of  activity  of  each  citizen 
being  determined  by  the  natural  division  of  work,  and 


260 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


by  the  choice  which  he  makes  of  a  profession,  and  the 
social  functions  being  combined  so  as  to  produce  an 
harmonious  effect,  order  results  from  the  free  action 
of  all,  from  which  must  proceed  the  absolute  negation 
of  government.  Therefore,  he  who  attempts  to  govern 
me  is  a  tyrant  and  usurper,  and  I  declare  him  to  be  my 
enemy.” 

But  if  Mr.  Proudhon  is  consistent  when  he  rejects  all 
government,  he  is  only  partially  so  when  he  designates 
this  negation  as  the  last  of  the  negations  contained  in 
the  socialist  doctrines.  He  has  denied  the  domestic 
solidarity,  in  the  negation  of  the  family;  he  has  denied 
the  political  solidarity,  in  the  negation  of  the  govern¬ 
ment,  while  at  the  very  time  that  he  rejects  these  two 
solidarities,  he  affirms  by  an  inconceivable  contradiction 
the  solidarity  of  humanity,  which  is  the  common  foun¬ 
dation  of  both.  We  have  already  demonstrated  that  to 
affirm  equality  and  liberty,  is  the  same  as  to  affirm  hu¬ 
man  solidarity.  Nor  does  the  contradiction  stop  here, 
for  at  the  same  time  that  he  declares  the  doctrine  of 
equality  and  liberty  in  the  Confessions  of  a  Revolutionist , 
he  denies  the  doctrine  of  fraternity  in  the  sixth  chapter 
of  his  book  upon  Rconomick  Contradictions ,  in  these 
words:  “Do  you  speak  to  me  of  fraternity?  Yes,  I 
am  willing  to  admit  that  we  are  brothers,  with  the  under¬ 
standing  that  I  shall  be  the  older  brother  and  you  the 
younger,  and  that  society,  our  common  mother,  shall 
honor  my  right  of  primogeniture  and  my  services  by 
granting  me  a  double  portion.  You  say,  you  will  pro¬ 
vide  for  my  wants  according  to  my  means;  but  I  un¬ 
derstand,  on  the  contrary,  that  my  wants  will  be  pro¬ 
vided  for  in  proportion  to  my  work,  otherwise  I  cease 
to  labor.” 


I 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM.  261 

We  here  perceive  a  double  contradiction,  because  there 
is  not  only  a  contradiction  in  affirming  the  solidarity  of 
humanity,  when  we  deny  the  solidarity  of  the  family 
and  of  society,  but  there  is  also  a  still  greater  contra¬ 
diction  in  the  negation  of  fraternity,  at  the  same  time 
that  the  principle  of  liberty  and  equality  among  men  is 
affirmed.  Equality,  liberty,  and  fraternity  are  princi¬ 
ples  which  have  a  mutual  dependence,  and  which  resolve 
themselves  into  each  other.  To  choose  the  one  and  to 
reject  the  other,  is  to  take  what  is  rejected,  and  reject 
what  is  taken ;  to  deny  what  is  affirmed,  and  at  the  same 
time  to  affirm  what  is  denied. 

Respecting  the  question  of  government,  the  negation 
of  all  government  by  Mr.  Proudhon  is  only  an  apparent 
negation.  If  the  idea  of  government  is  not  antagonistic 
to  the  socialist  idea,  it  is  not  necessary  for  the  socialist 
to  deny  the  first;  and  if  there  is  an  antagonism  between 
these  two  ideas,  it  is  a  gross  inconsistency  to  proclaim 
in  another  form  that  right  of  government  which  has  just 
been  denied.  Now  Mr.  Proudhon,  who  denies  the  right 
of  government,  the  symbol  of  unity  and  of  political 
solidarity,  acknowledges  it  in  another  manner,  and  under 
another  form,  when  he  recognizes  and  proclaims  the 
principle  of  unity  and  social  solidarity  in  the  following 
words :  “  Only  society,  that  is  to  say,  the  collective  being, 
can  follow  its  inclinations  and  abandon  itself  to  its  free 
will  without  fear  of  committing  an  absolute  and  immedi¬ 
ate  error.  The  superior  reason  which  resides  in  it,  and 
which  it  gradually  eliminates  through  the  manifestations 
of  the  multitude  and  the  reflection  of  individuals,  always 
leads  it  in  the  right  direction.  The  philosopher  is  in¬ 
capable  of  discovering  truth  by  intuition,  and  if  he  hap¬ 
pens  to  attempt  to  direct  society  he  is  in  great  danger 

23* 


262 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


of  substituting  his  own  ideas,  which  are  always  ineffica¬ 
cious  and  insufficient,  in  place  of  the  eternal  laws  of 
order,  and  he  thus  precipitates  society  into  an  abyss  of 
disorder.  He  requires  a  guide,  and  what  can  this  guide 
be  but  the  law  of  progress,  that  logic  inherent  in  hu¬ 
manity.”* 

In  the  preceding  paragraph,  Mr.  Proudhon  affirms 
unity,  solidarity,  and  social  infallibility — precisely  the 
three  things  that  communism  affirms  or  supposes  to  exist 
in  the  state  —  and  he  denies  the  capacity  and  right  of 
individuals  to  govern  nations,  which  is  exactly  what  is 
denied  by  communism.  From  which  it  follows  that 
Proudhonism  and  communism  arrive  at  the  same  con¬ 
clusions  by  different  means.  They  both  assert  the  right 
of  government,  and  with  it  the  unity  and  solidarity  of 
human  societies.  The  government  is  infallible  for  both, 
that  is  to  say,  it  is  omnipotent;  and  being  so,  it  excludes 
all  idea  of  liberty  in  individuals,  who,  placed  under  the 
jurisdiction  of  an  omnipotent  and  infallible  government, 
can  only  be  regarded  as  slaves.  Whether  we  hold  that 
the  right  of  government  resides  in  the  state,  the  sym¬ 
bol  of  political  unity,  or  in  society  considered  as  a  col¬ 
lective  being,  in  either  case,  according  to  socialist  doc¬ 
trine,  all  social  rights  are  condensed  in  the  state,  and 
consequently  the  individual  considered  as  such  is  con¬ 
demned  to  the  most  complete  servitude. 

Mr.  Proudhon,  then,  does  precisely  the  contrary  of 
what  he  asserts,  and  he  is  quite  the  contrary  of  what  he 
appears  to  be.  He  proclaims  liberty  and  equality,  and 
yet  establishes  tyranny;  he  denies  the  doctrine  of  soli¬ 
darity,  and  at  the  same  time  he  supposes  it;  he  calls 


*  Confessions  of  a  Revolutionist. 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


263 


himself  an  anarchist,  and  yet  has  a  violent  desire  to 
govern.  He  seems  hold,  but  he  is  timid ;  his  boldness 
consists  in  mere  words,  and  his  ideas  are  timorous.  He 
is  thought  dogmatic,  but  he  is  skeptical;  his  skepticism 
is  in  substance,  and  his  dogmatism  in  form.  He  solemnly 
announces  that  he  is  about  to  proclaim  new  and  strange 
truths,  but  he  simply  echoes  old  and  exploded  errors. 

His  apothegm,  property  is  theft ,  has  charmed  the 
French  by  its  air  of  originality  and  ingenuity;  but  it 
may  be  well  to  remind  them  that  on  this  side  of  the 
Pyrenees  this  saying  is  very  ancient.  From  the  days 
of  Viriato  up  to  the  present  time,  every  highwayman 
who  threatens  the  life  of  the  traveler  if  he  does  not  give 
up  to  him  his  purse,  is  said  to  commit  a  theft,  and,  like 
a  thief,  he  takes  what  he  can  get.  Mr.  Proudhon  has 
only  stolen  his  apothegm  from  the  Spanish  banditti,  as 
they  steal  the  purse  of  the  traveler.  In  the  same  way 
that  he  professes  to  be  original  when  he  is  in  fact  a  pla¬ 
giarist,  so  he  calls  himself  the  prophet  of  the  future, 
when  he  is  only  the  apostle  of  the  past.  His  principal 
artifice  consists  in  expressing  the  idea  that  he  affirms 
with  the  word  which  contradicts  it.  For  example,  every 
one  calls  despotism,  despotism.  Mr.  Proudhon  calls  it 
anarchy;  and  when  he  has  given  the  thing  affirmed  its 
contradictory  name,  with  this  name  he  combats  its  friends, 
and  with  the  thing  itself  its  adversaries.  By  his  com¬ 
munist  sentiments,  which  are  at  the  bottom  of  his  sys¬ 
tem,  he  terrifies  capitalists,  and  by  the  word  anarchy  he 
frightens  and  puts  to  flight  his  friends  the  communists; 
then  he  looks  around  him  to  observe  the  effect  produced, 
and  seeing  the  first  utterly  dismayed,  and  the  second 
silenced,  he  ridicules  them  all.  Another  artful  device 
which  he  makes  use  of  is  to  adopt  a  portion  of  each 


264  ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 

system,  taking  care  not  to  admit  enough  to  confound 
him  with  the  supporters  of  any  particular  doctrine,  and 
yet  sufficient  to  excite  the  opposition  of  its  adversaries. 
There  are  pages  of  his  writings  to  which  all  the  friends 
of  order  could  subscribe;  then,  other  pages  are  intended 
for  the  partisans  of  revolution;  while  again,  at  other 
times,  he  expresses  still  other  opinions  in  common  with 
those  entertained  by  the  most  fanatical  democrats,  and' 
these  sentiments  are  directed  against  the  friends  of 
order.  Sometimes  he  ostentatiously  displays  the  most 
shameless  atheism,  which  he  intends  for  the  Catholics; 
and  again  he  might  be  mistaken  for  a  fervent  Christian, 
when  he  wishes  to  provoke  the  materialists  and  atheists. 
The  chief  happiness  of  this  man  is  to  oblige  every  one 
to  oppose  him,  and  to  resist  every  one.  When  he  asserts 
that  he  regards  all  who  attempt  to  control  him  as  ene¬ 
mies,  he  has  only  revealed  his  secret  in  part;  the  rest 
consists  in  his  being  inimical  to  all  who  listen  to  and 
follow  him.  If  the  world  should  ever  become  converted 
to  his  doctrines,  in  order  to  oppose  the  world  he  would 
cease  to  profess  them  and  would  adopt  others;  and  if  the 
world  should  still  continue  to  agree  with  him,  he  would 
assuredly  hang  himself  upon  the  first  tree.  If  there 
can  be  a  greater  misfortune  than  that  of  not  being  able 
to  love — which  is  peculiarly  the  misfortune  of  Satan — 
it  must  be  that  of  not  wishing  to  be  loved,  which  is  the 
Proudhonian  misfortune.  And  yet  this  man,  frightful 
object  of  the  divine  wrath  as  he  is,  preserves  some¬ 
where,  in  the  most  hidden  depths  of  his  gloomy  and 
darkened  being,  a  ray  of  light  and  love,  which,  although 
it  is  nearly  obscured  by  the  rapidly  increasing  shades, 
still  distinguishes  him  from  the  infernal  spirits.  He  is 
not  utterly  abandoned  to  hatred  and  darkness.  He  is 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


265 


the  declared  enemy  of  all  literary,  as  of  all  moral  ex¬ 
cellence  ;  and  yet  without  either  knowing  or  desiring  it, 
he  attains  both  a  literary  and  moral  beauty  in  the  few 
pages  which  he  consecrates  to  the  modest  graces  of 
chastity,  to  artless  and  pure  love,  and  to  the  harmony 
and  magnificence  of  Catholicism.  His  style  then  rises 
to  the  dignity  and  majesty  of  his  subject,  or  breathes 
the  graceful  delicacy  of  the  most  refreshing  idyl. 

If  we  consider  Mr.  Proudhon  in  himself,  and  sepa¬ 
rated  from  others,  he  is  inexplicable  and  inconceivable. 
He  is  not  a  person,  although  he  appears  to  he  so,  hut  he 
is  a  personification.  Although  he  is  in  the  highest  de¬ 
gree  contradictory  and  illogical,  the  world  calls  him 
logical  because  he  is  himself  a  consequence.  He  is  the 
consequence  of  all  the  extravagant  ideas,  all  the  con¬ 
tradictory  principles,  all  the  absurd  premises  advanced 
during  the  past  three  centuries  by  modern  rationalism. 
Thus,  as  the  consequence  supposes  its  premises,  and  the 
premises  include  their  consequence,  these  three  centuries 
ought  necessarily  to  produce  Mr.  Proudhon,  and  Mr. 
Proudhon  necessarily  represents  them.  This  is  why  the 
examination  of  either  the  ages  or  the  man  must  give  the 
same  result.  All  the  Proudhonian  contradictions  are 
found  in  the  three  last  centuries,  and  Mr.  Proudhon  is 
the  embodiment  of  all  these  antagonisms,  and  both  are 
condensed  in  a  book  which,  under  this  aspect,  is  the  most 
remarkable  work  of  the  present  age  —  the  “ System  of 
Economich  Contradictions .”  There  is  an  absolute  iden¬ 
tity  between  this  book,  its  author,  and  the  rationalist 
ages.  The  only  difference  that  exists  between  them  is 
in  name  and  form.  That  -which  they  all  represent  is 
alternately  expressed  under  the  form  of  a  book,  a  man, 
or  an  age.  This  explains  why  Mr.  Proudhon  never  is, 


266 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


but  always  seems  to  be,  original.  He  cannot  be  so,  for 
tbe  premises  once  given,  there  can  be  nothing  less  orig¬ 
inal  than  the  consequence;  and  yet  he  always  appears 
to  be  so,  for  what  can  seem  more  original  than  the  con¬ 
centration  in  one  man  of  all  the  contradictions  of  three 
contradictory  ages? 

This  does  not  mean  that  Mr.  Proudhon  is  not  in  search 
of  originality.  Mr.  Proudhon  really  seeks  to  be  orig¬ 
inal  when  he  undertakes  to  express  by  a  formula  the 
synthesis  of  all  antinomies,  and  to  find  the  supreme 
equation  of  all  contradictions.  But  it  is  precisely  here, 
that  is,  in  the  manifestation  of  his  own  individuality,  that 
he  discovers  his  incapacity.  His  equation  is  only  the 
beginning  of  a  new  series  of  contradictions,  and  his 
synthesis  that  of  a  new  succession  of  antinomies.  For 
example,  when  placed  between  the  right  of  property, 
which  is  the  thesis,  and  communism,  which  is  its  an¬ 
tithesis,  he  seeks  the  synthesis  in  that  right  of  property 
which  is  not  hereditary;  he  does  not  perceive  that  prop¬ 
erty  which  is  not  hereditary  is  not  property,  and  conse¬ 
quently  that  his  synthesis  is  no  synthesis,  because  it 
does  not  suppress  the  contradiction,  and  is  only  an¬ 
other  way  of  rejecting  the  vanquished  thesis,  and 
affirming  the  victorious  antithesis.  Or,  when  again, 
in  order  to  express  by  a  formula  the  synthesis  he 
wishes  to  establish,  and  which  must,  on  the  one  hand, 
reconcile  authority  which  is  the  thesis,  and  on  the  other, 
liberty,  which  is  its  antithesis;  when  in  order  to  do  this 
he  denies  the  right  of  government  and  proclaims  an¬ 
archy,  if  he  intends  that  there  should  be  no  government 
whatever,  his  synthesis  is  in  this  case  only  the  negation 
of  the  thesis,  which  is  authority,  and  the  affirmation  of 
the  antithesis,  which  is  human  liberty.  If,  on  the  con- 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


267 


trary,  he  means  that  an  absolute  and  dictatorial  power 
should  only  exist  in  society,  and  not  in  the  state,  in  this 
case  he  merely  denies  the  antithesis  and  affirms  the  the¬ 
sis  by  denying  liberty  and  affirming  the  omnipotence  of 
communism.  In  either  case,  where  is  the  adjustment  of 
things?  where  is  the  synthesis?  Mr.  Proudhon  is  only 
successful  when  he  is  satisfied  with  being  the  personifi¬ 
cation  of  modern  rationalism,  which  is  in  its  nature  ab¬ 
surd  and  contradictory;  and  he  is  only  impotent  when, 
wishing  to  display  his  individuality,  he  ceases  to  be  a 
personification  to  become  a  person. 

I  have  carefully  examined  the  theories  of  Mr.  Proud¬ 
hon  under  every  aspect,  and  I  am  satisfied  that  the 
salient  characteristic  of  his  intellectual  physiognomy  is 
a  contempt  of  God  and  man.  Never  has  any  man 
sinned  more  deeply  against  humanity  and  the  Holy 
Ghost.  Whenever  this  chord  of  his  heart  resounds,  it 
is  always  in  an  eloquent  and  vigorous  strain.  He 
himself  does  not  then  speak,  but  another  speaks  for 
him,  who  possesses  him,  and  who  causes  him  to  fall  into 
epileptic  convulsions.  He  is  then  under  the  power  of 
another  who  is  greater  than  he,  and  who  constrains  him 
to  sustain  a  perpetual  dialogue.  What  he  says  at  times 
is  so  extraordinary,  and  expressed  in  so  strange  a  man¬ 
ner,  that  the  soul  remains  amazed,  not  knowing  if  he 
who  speaks  is  man  or  demon,  or  if  he  is  in  earnest  or 
in  jest.  So  far  as  Mr.  Proudhon  is  concerned,  if  it 
rested  with  him,  he  would  rather  be  regarded  as  demon 
than  man.  Man  or  devil,  it  is  equally  certain  that  upon 
his  shoulders  three  ages  of  reprobation  rest  with  crush¬ 
ing  weight. 


268 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


CHAPTER  Y. 

Continuation  of  the  same  subject. 

Robert  Owen  appears  to  me  to  be  the  most  consist¬ 
ent  of  all  modern  socialists,  regarding  the  question  under 
the  point  of  view  in  which  we  have  just  examined  it. 
He  openly  and  cynically  rejects  all  religions,  the  depos¬ 
itaries  of  religious  and  moral  dogmas,  and  he  utterly 
denies  the  obligations  of  duty,  not  only  denying  the  col¬ 
lective  responsibility  which  constitutes  the  dogma  of 
solidarity,  but  likewise  the  individual  responsibility 
which  rests  upon  the  dogma  of  the  free  will  of  man. 
Robert  Owen  first  denies  free  will,  and  then  the  trans¬ 
mission  of  sin,  and  finally  sin  itself.  So  far,  he  is  un¬ 
doubtedly  logical  and  consistent  in  all  his  deductions; 
but  when  denying  sin  and  free  will  he  affirms  the  dis¬ 
tinction  between  moral  good  and  evil,  and  when  recog¬ 
nizing  these  distinctions  between  moral  good  and  evil, 
he  yet  denies  the  penalty  which  is  its  necessary  conse¬ 
quence,  then  Owen  becomes  inconsistent  and  absurd. 

Man,  according  to  Robert  Owen,  acts  in  consequence 
of  invincible  convictions.  These  convictions  are  not 
only  the  result  of  his  special  organization,  but  also  of 
the  circumstances  which  surround  him;  and  as  he  is 
neither  the  author  of  these  circumstances  nor  of  this 
organization,  therefore  they  both  act  upon  him  fatally 
and  necessarily.  All  this  is  logical  and  consistent,  but 
it  is  the  negation  of  free  will ;  and  when  he  makes  this 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM.  269 

negation,  and  at  the  same  time  affirms  the  existence  of 
good  and  evil,  he  is  illogical,  contradictory,  and  absurd. 
This  absurdity  even  becomes  inconceivable  and  monstrous, 
when  our  author  proposes  to  found  a  society  and  a  gov¬ 
ernment  upon  the  juxtaposition  of  these  irresponsible 
beings.  The  ideas  of  government  and  of  society  are 
correlative  with  that  of  human  liberty.  From  the  nega¬ 
tion  of  one  proceeds  the  negation  of  the  others,  and  he 
who  does  not  affirm  or  deny  them  altogether,  only  simul¬ 
taneously  affirms  or  denies  the  same  thing.  I  am  not 
aware  that  the  annals  of  history  present  an  example  of 
a  more  complete  blindness,  inconsistency,  and  folly  than 
that  of  Owen,  when,  after  having  denied  individual  re¬ 
sponsibility  and  liberty,  he  not  only  affirms  the  necessity 
of  society  and  of  government,  but  goes  farther,  and  is 
guilty  of  the  wonderful  contradiction  of  counseling  the 
exercise  of  benevolence,  justice,  and  love  to  those  who 
according  to  him  are  neither  responsible  nor  free,  and  are 
therefore  deprived  of  the  liberty  either  to  love  or  to 
show  themselves  just  or  benevolent,  if  they  wish  to  do  so. 

The  limits  within  which  I  proposed  to  confine  myself 
in  undertaking  this  work,  prevent  me  from  a  more  ex¬ 
tended  investigation  of  the  vast  range  of  socialist  con¬ 
tradictions.  Those  which  we  have  already  examined 
more  than  suffice  to  prove,  beyond  the  possibility  of 
doubt  or  controversy,  the  incontestable  fact  that  social¬ 
ism,  under  whatever  aspect  we  may  consider  it,  involves 
a  complete  contradiction,  and  that  from  the  contradic¬ 
tory  assertions  of  its  schools,  can  only  result  an  utter 
confusion.  Its  inconsistency  is  so  palpable  that  it  would 
not  be  difficult  to  exhibit  it  clearly,  and,  as  it  were,  in 
relief,  even  in  those  points  in  which  all  these  sectaries 

24 


270 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


are  united,  and  of  the  same  opinion.  If  any  negation 
is  common  to  them,  it  is  certainly  that  of  the  negation 
of  the  solidarity  of  the  family  of  the  nobility.  All  the 
revolutionary  and  socialist  doctors  unanimously  concur 
in  the  denial  of  that  communion  of  glories  and  misfor¬ 
tunes,  of  merits  and  demerits  between  ancestors  and 
their  descendants,  which  mankind  has  recognized  through 
all  ages  as  an  established  fact.  Nevertheless  these  same 
revolutionists  and  socialists  affirm  of  themselves  in  prac¬ 
tice,  without  knowing  it,  the  very  thing  that  they  deny 
to  others  in  theory.  When  the  French  revolution, 
bleeding  and  disheveled,  trampled  under  foot  all  the 
national  glories;  when,  inebriated  with  its  triumphs,  it 
considered  a  definitive  victory  as  certain,  it  was  seized 
with  an  undefinable  aristocratic  pride  of  race,  which 
was  in  direct  opposition  to  all  its  dogmas.  One  then 
beheld  the  more  celebrated  of  the  revolutionists  with  the 
pride  of  the  ancient  feudal  barons,  hesitating  to  grant 
to  others  the  privilege  of  association  with  their  illustri¬ 
ous  families.  My  readers  will  remember  the  remarkable 
question  which  these  doctors  of  the  new  law  addressed 
to  the  immaculate  aspirants  to  their  favor:  “What  crime 
have  you  committed?”  How  unfortunate  were  those 
who  were  guilty  of  none,  for  never  would  be  thrown 
open  to  them  the  gates  of  the  capitol  where  the  demi¬ 
gods  of  the  revolution  presided  in  terrible  majesty. 
Mankind  had  established  a  nobility  of  virtue,  the  revo¬ 
lution  instituted  that  of  crime  in  its  place. 

When,  after  the  revolution  of  February,  we  saw  the 
socialists  and  republicans  divided  into  classes,  separated 
from  each  other  by  an  impassable  gulf,  and  the  repub¬ 
licans  of  yesterday  heaping  contumely  and  insult  upon 
the  republicans  of  to-day ;  when  others  again  more 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


271 


fortunate,  and  consequently  more  arrogant  than  the  rest, 
exclaimed,  All  the  glory  is  ours,  for  with  us  the  title  of 
republican  is  a  family  inheritance,  and  has  been  trans¬ 
mitted  to  us  by  blood, — what  was  this  hut  the  entire 
adoption  of  aristocratic  sentiments  by  republicanism  ? 

If  we  examine  in  succession  all  the  revolutionary 
schools,  we  shall  find  them  all  disputing  with  each  other 
for  a  family  predominance,  and  attempting  to  trace  a 
noble  ancestry.  The  chief  of  one  group  is  the  illustrious 
St.  Simon;  of  another,  the  distinguished  Fourier;  of  a 
third,  the  patriot  Babeuf.  All  have  a  patrimony,  a 
glory,  and  a  mission  in  common,  and  all  are  united  with 
each  other  by  the  tie  of  a  close  solidarity.  They  all 
seek  in  past  ages  some  personality  so  noble,  high,  and 
exalted  that  they  may  find  in  him  a  yet  closer  bond  and 
common  center.  Some  among  them  have  chosen  Plato 
as  the  glorious  personification  of  ancient  wisdom.  The 
greater  number,  carried  away  by  their  mad  ambition  to 
the  height  of  blasphemy,  have  not  feared  thus  to  pro¬ 
fane  the  holy  name  of  the  Redeemer  of  mankind.  As 
one  poor  and  abandoned,  they  would  deny  him;  hum¬ 
ble,  they  would  despise  him;  but  their  insolent  pride 
has  not  forgotten  that  in  his  poverty,  isolation  and 
humility,  he  was  a  king,  and  that  the  blood  of  kings 
flowed  in  his  veins.  As  to  Mr.  Proudhon,  he  is  the 
perfect  type  of  socialist  pride,  which  is,  in  its  turn, 
the  extreme  concentration  of  human  arrogance.  His 
vanity  carries  him  to  the  most  remote  ages  in  search 
of  an  ancestry,  which  he  traces  with  presumption  up 
to  the  times  almost  contemporaneous  with  the  creation, 
when  the  Hebrews  flourished  under  the  Mosaic  institu¬ 
tions.  We  shall  embrace  a  more  favorable  opportunity 
to  show  clearly  that  the  title  of  Mr.  Proudhon  to  nobility 


272 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


is  still  more  ancient,  and  his  race  so  illustrious,  that  in 
order  to  trace  it  to  its  source  it  is  necessary  to  ascend 
still  higher,  and  to  arrive  at  an  epoch  not  included  in 
the  narrow  circle  of  history,  and  to  beings  who  are  in¬ 
finitely  superior  to  man  by  the  elevation  and  perfection 
of  their  nature.  At  present  it  suffices  to  assert  that 
the  socialist  schools  are  irrevocably  condemned  to  con¬ 
tradictions  and  absurdity ;  that  each  one  of  their  princi¬ 
ples  is  in  opposition  to  that  which  precedes  and  that 
which  follows  it;  that  their  practice  is  the  complete  re¬ 
futation  of  all  their  theories,  and  that  their  theories  are 
the  radical  refutation  of  their  conduct. 

Let  us  attempt  to  form  an  approximate  idea  of  what 
the  socialist  edifice  would  he  without  those  defects  of 
proportion  which  so  disfigure  it,  and  deprive  it  of  all 
regularity  of  architecture.  After  having  seen  what  it 
is  in  the  present  day,  with  its  contradictory  dogmas,  it 
would  seem  not  to  be  inappropriate  to  examine  briefly 
what  it  will  become  in  the  future,  when  the  latent  virtue 
which  is  in  every  theory  being  developed  by  the  action  of 
time,  will  triumph  over  its  contradictions  and  inconsist¬ 
encies.  The  method  of  doing  this  is  very  simple.  It 
suffices  to  take  any  proposition,  no  matter  which  one, 
that  is  unanimously  accepted  by  the  socialists  of  all  the 
schools,  and  to  draw  from  this  proposition  the  inferences 
it  comprises. 

The  fundamental  negation  of  socialism  is  the  nega¬ 
tion  of  sin,  which  is  the  grand  affirmation,  and  consid¬ 
ered  as  the  center  of  all  Catholic  affirmations. 

From  this  negation  a  series  of  negations  logically  re¬ 
sult,  som6  respecting  the  divine  being,  others  respecting 
the  human  being,  and  others  still  respecting  the  social 
being.  It  would  be  impossible  to  investigate  this  entire 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


273 


series,  besides  being  beyond  the  scope  of  our  argument. 
It  will  answer  the  end  we  have  in  view  to  notice  the 
most  important  of  these  negations. 

The  socialists  deny  both  the  existence  and  the  possi¬ 
bility  of  sin.  This  double  negation  involves  the  nega¬ 
tion  of  free  will,  which  we  cannot  conceive  of,  unless 
human  nature  possesses  the  power  of  choosing  between 
good  and  evil,  of  falling  from  a  state  of  innocence  into 
that  of  sin.  m 

If  we  deny  the  power  of  free  will,  we  must  also  deny 
the  responsibility  of  man.  From  the  negation  of  re¬ 
sponsibility  must  proceed  the  negation  of  all  penalty, 
and  this  denied,  we  reject  both  the  divine  government 
over  man  and  the  right  of  human  government.  There¬ 
fore,  as  regards  the  question  of  the  right  of  government, 
the  negation  of  sin  leads  to  its  destruction. 

If  we  deny  an  individual  responsibility,  we  must  also 
deny  a  responsibility  in  common;  for  what  is  denied  of 
the  individual  cannot  be  affirmed  of  the  species,  and  thus 
human  responsibility  is  destroyed.  What  is  denied  of 
each  one  in  particular,  and  of  all  in  general,  cannot  be 
affirmed  of  any;  from  which  it  follows,  that  if  we  once 
deny  the  responsibility  of  the  individual  and  that  of  the 
species,  we  must  also  deny  the  responsibility  of  all  asso¬ 
ciations.  In  other  words,  there  no  longer  exists  either 
a  social,  political,  or  a  domestic  responsibility.  There¬ 
fore,  as  regards  the  question  of  responsibility,  the  nega¬ 
tion  of  sin  leads  to  its  destruction. 

From  the  denial  of  an  individual,  domestic,  political, 
and  human  responsibility,  proceeds  the  negation  of  soli¬ 
darity  in  the  individual,  the  family,  the  state,  and  the 
species,  since  solidarity  means  a  responsibility  in  com- 

24* 


274 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


mon.  Therefore,  as  regards  solidarity,  the  negation  of 
sin  leads  to  its  destruction. 

If  we  deny  the  solidarity  of  man,  of  the  family,  of 
the  state,  and  of  the  species,  we  must  also  deny  the 
unity  of  man,  of  the  family,  of  the  state,  and  of  the 
species;  because  the  identity  between  solidarity  and 
unity  is  so  complete,  that  what  is  one  cannot  even  be 
conceived  of  except  as  possessed  of  solidarity,  nor  that 
which  has  solidarity,  exce^  as  possessing  unity.  There¬ 
fore,  as  regards  the  question  of  unity,  the  negation  of 
sin  leads  to  its  destruction. 

The  following  negations  proceed  from  the  absolute 
negation  of  unity :  that  of  humanity,  society,  the  family, 
and  man.  In  effect,  nothing  whatever  exists,  except 
under  the  condition  of  being  one,  and  it  is  equivalent  to 
the  negation  of  the  family,  society,  and  humanity  to 
deny  the  domestic,  political,  and  human  unity.  From 
the  negation  of  these  three  unities  proceeds  the  nega¬ 
tion  of  these  three  things.  To  affirm  their  existence 
and  to  deny  their  unity  is  a  contradiction  of  terms. 
Each  one  of  these  things  must  either  be  one  or  have  no 
existence  whatever.  Therefore,  if  they  are  not  one, 
they  do  not  exist,  and  even  their  name  is  an  absurdity, 
since  it  is  a  name  which  neither  represents  nor  expresses 
anything. 

As  regards  the  individual  man,  his  negation  as  the 
result  of  the  negation  of  unity,  proceeds  in  a  different 
manner.  The  individual  man  alone  may,  up  to  a  certain 
point,  exist  without  unity  or  solidarity.  What  is  denied 
of  him  in  denying  his  unity  and  solidarity  is,  that  in  the 
different  moments  of  his  life  he  remains  the  same  per¬ 
son.  If  there  is  no  link  which  unites  the  present 
with  the  past  and  future,  it  results  from  this,  that  man 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


275 


only  exists  in  the  present.  But,  according  to  this  sup¬ 
position,  his  existence  is  rather  phenomenal  than  real. 
If  he  does  not  exist  in  the  past,  because  it  is  past,  and 
there  is  no  connection  between  the  past  and  the  present; 
if  he  does  not  live  in  the  future  because  the  future  is 
not,  and  when  the  future  shall  exist,  what  now  constitutes 
the  present  will  have  ceased  to  be:  if  man  only  lives 
in  the  present,  and  the  present  does  not  exist,  because 
when  we  would  affirm  its  existence  it  is  already  past,  it 
results  from  this,  that  man’s  existence  is  rather  theo¬ 
retical  than  real,  because  if  he  does  not  really  exist 
throughout  all  time,  he  does  not  exist  in  any  portion  of 
time  whatever.  I  can  only  conceive  of  time  as  united 
under  its  three  forms,  and  I  cannot  conceive  of  it  if 
they  are  separated.  What  is  the  past,  except  that 
which  no  longer  exists?  What  is  the  future,  except 
that  which  does  not  yet  exist?  And  who  can  arrest 
the  present,  the  necessary  time  to  affirm  it,  before  it 
reaches  the  future  and  falls  into  the  past  ?  Therefore, 
to  affirm  the  existence  of  man  and  to  deny  the  unity  of 
time,  is  to  give  to  man  only  the  speculative  existence  of 
the  mathematical  point.  Therefore,  the  negation  of  sin 
ends  in  nihilism,  either  as  regards  the  existence  of  indi¬ 
vidual  man,  of  humanity,  of  the  family,  or  of  society ; 
and  it  is  proved  that  all  the  socialist  doctrines,  or  to 
speak  with  more  precision,  all  the  rationalist  doctrines, 
end  in  nothingness.  There  is  nothing  more  natural  or 
logical,  if  we  carefully  reflect  upon  it,  than  that  those 
who  separate  themselves  from  God  should  end  in  nihil¬ 
ism,  because  out  of  God  there  is  only  nothingness. 

This  established,  I  can  with  justice  accuse  the  social¬ 
ism  of  the  present  day  of  timidity,  and  of  being  contra¬ 
dictory.  It  denies  the  triune  and  one  God,  and  affirms 


276 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLIGISM, 


other  gods;  it  denies  humanity  under  one  aspect,  and 
affirms  it  under  another ;  it  denies  society  under  certain 
forms,  and  affirms  it  under  different  forms;  it,  on  the 
one  hand,  denies  the  family,  and  on  the  other  affirms  it; 
it  denies  man  in  one  way,  and  affirms  him  in  a  different 
or  contrary  way.  Is  not  all  this  inconsistent  and  cow¬ 
ardly?  The  socialism  of  the  present  day  still  remains 
a  demi-Catholicism,  and  nothing  more.  If  the  limits  of 
this  work  would  permit,  I  could  readily  demonstrate  that 
the  socialist  doctors  who  have  progressed  the  farthest, 
advance  a  greater  proportion  of  Catholic  affirmations 
than  of  socialist  negations,  which  produces  an  absurd 
Catholicism  and  a  contradictory  socialism.  Every  af¬ 
firmation  which  supposes  a  God,  is  necessarily  the  affirm¬ 
ation  of  the  God  of  the  Catholics;  every  affirmation 
which  supposes  humanity,  inevitably  leads  to  the  Chris¬ 
tian  dogma  of  the  unity  and  solidarity  of  humanity; 
every  affirmation  which  supposes  the  existence  of  society, 
ends  sooner  or  later  in  the  Catholic  affirmation  respect¬ 
ing  the  social  institutions;  every  affirmation  which  sup¬ 
poses  the  family,  is  only  the  acceptance  of  conditions 
which  in  one  way  or  another  result  in  affirming  all  that 
Catholicism  affirms  and  socialism  denies  with  regard  to 
it;  finally,  every  affirmation,  of  whatever  nature,  re¬ 
specting  man,  definitively  resolves  itself  into  the  affirma¬ 
tion  of  Adam,  the  man  of  the  Book  of  Genesis.  Ca¬ 
tholicism  resembles  those  enormous  cylinders,  under 
which  if  anything  pass  in  part,  it  must  pass  entirely. 
If  socialism  does  not  alter  its  course  it  will  inevitably 
pass  under  this  formidable  cylinder,  dragging  with  it 
all  its  pontiffs  and  doctors,  and  every  vestige  of  its  exist¬ 
ence  will  be  obliterated. 

Mr.  Proudhon  is  not  ordinarily  ridiculous,  yet  he  be- 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


277 


comes  so  when,  proclaiming  the  negation  of  government 
as  the  ultimate  negation,  he  claims  the  first  rank  among  all 
the  socialists  on  account  of  the  extreme  boldness  of  this 
proposition.  When  the  socialists  would  vie  with  the  Cath¬ 
olics,  they  are  as  the  wise  men  of  Greece  compared  with 
the  priests  of  the  East ;  they  are  as  children  who  are 
mistaken  for  men.  The  negation  of  government,  so  far 
from  being  the  last  of  all  possible  negations,  is  only  a 
preliminary  negation,  which  future  nihilists  will  place 
in  their  list  of  prolegomena.  If  Mr.  Proudhon  does  not 
change  his  position,  he  will  be  dragged  like  the  rest 
under  the  Catholic  cylinder.  All  must  meet  this  fate, 
even  the  least.  He  must  then  either  affirm  nothingness, 
or  be  forced  body  and  soul  under  this  cylinder,  with 
all  his  negations  and  affirmations.  So  long  as  Mr. 
Proudhon  does  not  take  a  bolder  position,  he  entitles  me 
to  represent  him  to  the  future  rationalists  as  suspected 
of  latent  Catholicism  and  disguised  moderantism .  Those 
among  the  socialists  who  make  no  pretensions  to  an  in¬ 
heritance  of  Catholic  sentiments,  say  of  themselves  that 
they  are  its  antithesis.  But  Catholicism  is  not  a  thesis, 
and  therefore  cannot  be  opposed  by  an  antithesis.  It  is 
a  synthesis  which  includes  all,  which  contains  and  ex¬ 
plains  all,  which  cannot  be,  I  shall  not  say  conquered, 
but  even  contested,  except  by  a  similar  synthesis  which, 
like  it,  includes,  contains,  and  explains  all  things.  Every 
human  thesis  and  antithesis  is  comprised  in  the  Catholic 
synthesis.  It  attracts  and  condenses  everything  to 
itself  by  the  invincible  force  of  an  incommunicable  vir¬ 
tue.  Those  who  imagine  that  they  are  placed  beyond 
Catholic  limits,  still  remain  within  them,  because  within 
these  limits  is  the  atmosphere  of  intelligences.  The 


278 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


socialists,  like  the  rest,  after  the  most  strenuous  efforts 
to  separate  themselves  from  Catholicism,  have  only  suc¬ 
ceeded  in  becoming  bad  Catholics. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


Dogmas  correlative  with  the  dogma  of  solidarity— Bloody  sacri¬ 
fices  —  Theories  of  the  rationalist  schools  respecting  the  death 
penalty. 

We  have  shown  that  socialism  is  an  incoherent  com¬ 
bination  of  thesis  and  antithesis,  which  contradict  and 
destroy  each  other.  Catholicism,  on  the  contrary,  forms 
a  great  synthesis  which  includes  all  things  in  its  unity, 
and  infuses  into  them  its  sovereign  harmony.  It  may 
he  affirmed  of  Catholic  dogmas,  that  although  they  are 
diverse  yet  they  are  one.  So  perfect  is  the  connection 
between  them  that  no  particular  one  can  be  designated 
as  the  first  or  the  last  in  the  great  divine  circle.  The 
virtue  which  is  inherent  in  them  all  to  transfuse  their 
most  hidden  essence  into  each  other,  renders  it  impossi¬ 
ble  to  accept  or  reject  any  one  dogma  when  isolated 
from  the  others.  All  must  be  conjointly  accepted  or 
rejected;  and  as  their  dogmatical  affirmations  comprise 
all  possible  affirmations,  it  follows  that  no  affirmation  or 
negation/  when  restricted  to  a  particular  or  relative 
sense,  can  be  directed  against  Catholicism.  Only  an 
absolute  negation  can  be  opposed  to  this  wonderful  syn¬ 
thesis.  Things  have  been  so  disposed  by  God,  who 
manifests  himself  in  the  Catholic  word,  that  this  abso¬ 
lute  negation,  which  is  logically  necessary  in  order  to 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


279 


combat  the  divine  word,  is  entirely  impossible ;  because, 
in  order  to  deny  all  things  we  must  commence  by  deny¬ 
ing  our  own  existence,  and  he  who  annihilates  himself 
can  go  no  farther,  nor  can  he  subsequently  deny  any 
other  thing.  The  Catholic  word  is  then  invincible  and 
eternal.  From  the  first  day  of  creation  it  has  continued 
to  increase  throughout  all  space,  and  resound  throughout 
all  time,  with  an  infinite  power  of  expansion  and  reso¬ 
nance.  Nothing  can  diminish  its  sovereign  virtue,  and 
when  time  shall  have  run  its  course,  and  space  shall  lie 
folded  in  the  hand  of  God,  this  word  will  perpetually 
reverberate  throughout  the  profound  depths  of  eternity. 
Everything  passes  away  in  this  lower  world — men  and 
their  sciences,  which  are  but  ignorance;  empires  and 
their  glories,  which  are  but  illusions ;  all  is  silent,  and 
this  word  alone  resounds.  All  that  exists  bears  witness 
that  its  affirmation  is  like  itself,  immutable  and  eternal. 

If  we  consider  the  dogma  of  solidarity  in  its  connec¬ 
tion  with  the  dogma  of  unity,  we  see  that  they  are 
blended,  and  that  under  two  different  manifestations 
they  are  essentially  one  and  the  same  dogma.  If  we 
afterward  consider  the  dogma  of  solidarity  in  itself,  we 
see  it  resolved  into  two  dogmas  which,  like  that  of  soli¬ 
darity  and  unity,  are  one  in  essence  but  two  in  their 
manifestations.  The  solidarity  and  unity  of  all  men 
involves  the  idea  of  a  responsibility  of  all  in  common, 
and  this  responsibility  supposes,  in  its  turn,  that  the 
merits  of  some  can  be  imputed  to  others,  and  that 
shame  and  penalty,  the  result  of  crime,  can  reach  those 
who  are  not  guilty.  When  the  evil  effect  of  crime  is 
what  is  thus  communicated,  the  dogma  preserves  its 
generic  name  of  solidarity,  and  when  an  advantage  is 
thus  imparted  the  name  is  changed  to  that  of  reversi- 


280 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


bility.  Thus  it  is  said  that  we  have  all  sinned  in  Adam, 

because  we  are  all  in  a  common  bond  of  solidarity  with 

him,  and  that  we  have  all  been  redeemed  by  Jesus  Christ, 

• 

because  his  merits  are  reversible  to  us.  The  difference 
here,  as  may  be  seen,  is  only  in  name,  and  in  nowise 
alters  the  identity  of  the  thing  signified.  It  is  the  same 
with  the  dogmas  of  imputation  and  substitution,  which 
are  only  the  two  dogmas  of  solidarity  and  of  reversi¬ 
bility  considered  in  their  applications.  In  virtue  of  the 
dogma  of  imputation,  we  all  suffer  the  punishment  in¬ 
flicted  upon  Adam,  and  by  that  of  substitution,  our  Sav¬ 
iour  suffered  for  us  all.  But,  as  is  here  seen,  we  only 
consider  a  dogma  as  regards  its  substance.  The  prin¬ 
ciple  in  virtue  of  which  we  have  all  been  saved  in  our 
Lord,  is  identical  with  that  through  which  we  have  all 
been  guilty  and  punished  in  Adam.  This  principle  of 
solidarity  which  explains  the  two  great  mysteries  of  our 
redemption  and  of  the  transmission  of  sin,  is  in  its  turn 
explained  by  this  very  transmission,  and  by  the  redemp¬ 
tion  of  mankind.  Without  solidarity  we  cannot  even 
conceive  of  a  corrupted  and  redeemed  humanity;  and, 
on  the  other  hand,  it  is  evident  that  if  humanity  could 
neither  be  redeemed  by  Jesus  Christ  nor  corrupted  in 
Adam,  neither  could  it  be  conceived  as  one  and  pos¬ 
sessing  solidarity. 

This  dogma,  united  to  that  of  the  Adamic  prevarica¬ 
tion,  reveals  to  us  the  true  nature  of  man,  and  God  has 
never  permitted  these  dogmas  to  be  entirely  forgotten. 
This  explains  why  all  the  nations  of  the  world  have  con¬ 
fessed  them,  and  why  their  testimony  is  engraved  in 
luminous  characters  on  the  pages  of  history.  The 
most  civilized  nations  and  the  most  savage  tribes 
have  alike  believed  these  two  things:  that  the  sins  of 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


281 


some  may  draw  down  the  anger  of  God  upon  the  head 
of  all,  and  that  a  deliverance  from  transmitted  sin  and 
its  penalty  may  be  obtained  for  all,  by  a  pure  victim 
offered  as  a  perfect  holocaust.  God  condemned  man¬ 
kind  for  the  sin  of  Adam,  and  saved  it  through  the 
merits  of  his  well  beloved  son.  Noah,  inspired  by  God, 
condemned,  in  the  person  of  Canaan,  all  his  race;  God 
blessed  in  Abraham,  and  then  in  Isaac,  and  afterward 
in  Jacob,  all  the  Hebrew  race.  Sometimes  he  saves 
offending  sons  on  account  of  the  merits  of  their  ances¬ 
tors;  then  again  he  chastises  them  even  to  the  last  gen¬ 
eration  on  account  of  the  sins  of  guilty  ancestors.  None 
of  these  things,  which  are  viewed  by  reason  as  incredi¬ 
ble,  have  caused  either  surprise  or  repugnance  to  man¬ 
kind,  which  has  received  them  with  the  most  pure  and 
constant  faith.  The  gods  made  Thebes  the  subject  of 
divine  wrath,  on  account  of  the  guilt  of  CEdipus,  and 
the  merits  of  his  expiation  were  likewise  reversible  to 
Thebes.  On  the  greatest  and  most  solemn  day  of  crea¬ 
tion,  when  the  Man-God  was  about  to  ratify  by  his  death 
the  truth  of  all  these  dogmas,  he  wished  them  to  be  first 
proclaimed  and  confessed  by  this  deicidal  people.  Then 
arose  a  turbulent  outcry,  a  supernatural  clamor  among 
this  people,  who  pronounced  these  frightful  words: 
“May  his  blood  be  upon  us,  and  upon  our  children.” 
Does  it  not  seem  as  if  God  permitted,  in  these  awful 
moments,  a  concentration  of  time  and  of  dogmas?  The 
very  day  that  this  very  people  put  him  to  death,  they 
impute  to  one  alone ,  and  punish  in  him,  the  sins  of  all, 
and  demand  the  application  of  the  same  law  to  them¬ 
selves  and  their  children,  in  declaring  that  their  sons 

share  a  solidaritv  of  sin  in  common  with  them.  The 

•/ 

same  day  that  this  dogma  is  thus  unanimously  proclaimed 

25 


282 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


by  this  people,  God  proclaims  it  himself  in  accepting  a 
solidarity  with  man,  and  he  also  proclaims  the  dogma 
of  reversibility  in  asking  the  Father  to  pardon  his  ene¬ 
mies  as  the  price  of  his  suffering,  and  he  proclaims  the 
dogma  of  substitution  in  dying  for  them,  and  finally, 
that  of  redemption  as  the  consequence  of  all  the  others. 
For,  if  the  sinner  is  redeemed,  it  is  because  the  substi¬ 
tute  who  suffered  death  for  him,  in  virtue  of  the  dogma 
of  solidarity,  has  been  accepted,  and  applies  to  him  His 
merits  in  virtue  of  the  dogma  of  reversibility. 

All  these  dogmas,  which  were  in  the  same  day  pro¬ 
claimed  by  a  people  and  by  a  God,  and  afterward  ac¬ 
complished  in  the  person  of  this  God,  and  in  the  successive 
generations  of  this  people,  these  same  dogmas  have  all 
been  constantly  proclaimed  and  accomplished,  although 
imperfectly,  since  the  beginning  of  the  world.  They 
were  symbolized  in  an  institution  before  they  were  ful¬ 
filled  in  a  person. 

The  institution  which  symbolized  them  is  that  of 
bloody  sacrifices.  The  existence  of  this  mysterious,  and, 
humanly  speaking,  inconceivable  institution  is  a  fact  so 
universal  and  constant  that  it  has  existed  among  all 
nations,  and  in  every  country;  so  that  of  all  the  social 
institutions,  that  which  is  most  universal  is  the  most  in¬ 
conceivable,  and  apparently  the  most  absurd;  and  it  is 
worthy  of  remark  that  this  universality  is  an  attribute 
common  to  the  institution  which  is  the  symbol  of  these 
dogmas,  to  the  person  in  whom  they  were  accomplished, 
and  even  to  the  dogmas  thus  symbolized  and  fulfilled. 
The  imagination  seeks  in  vain  to  find  dogmas,  a  person, 
or  an  institution  more  universal.  These  dogmas  contain 
all  the  laws  which  govern  human  affairs;  in  the  unity  of 
this  person  the  Divinity  and  humanity  are  found  united, 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


288 


and  the  institution  is  commemorative  of  the  universality 
of  the  dogmas,  and  is  symbolical  of  the  only  person  in 
whom  the  perfection  of  universality  exists;  and,  con¬ 
sidered  in  itself,  it  fills  the  earth  and  extends  beyond 
the  limits  of  history. 

Abel  was  the  first  man  who,  after  the  great  tragedy 
of  the  terrestrial  paradise,  offered  to  God  a  bloody  sacri¬ 
fice,  and  this  sacrifice,  in  that  it  was  bloody,  was  agree¬ 
able  in  the  eyes  of  God,  who  angrily  rejected  the  offer¬ 
ing  of  Cain,  which  consisted  of  the  fruits  of  the  earth. 
And  what  is  here  singular  and  mysterious  is,  that  Abel, 
who  offers  blood  as  an  expiatory  sacrifice,  holds  its  effu¬ 
sion  in  such  horror  that  he  prefers  to  die  rather  than 
shed  the  blood  of  him  who  would  kill  him;  while  Cain, 
who  refuses  to  shed  blood  as  a  symbol  of  expiation,  does 
not  hesitate  to  take  the  life  of  his  brother.  Why  is  it 
that,  according  to  the  manner  in  which  it  is  done,  the 
effusion  of  blood  is  here  regarded  either  as  a  means  of 
purification  or  as  a  crime?  Why  do  all  shed  blood  in 
one  manner  or  the  other? 

Since  the  day  of  the  first  effusion  of  blood,  it  has 
never  ceased  to  flow,  and  it  has  never  been  shed  in 
vain,  always  preserving  intact  either  its  condemna¬ 
tory  or  its  purifying  virtue.  All  men  who  have  lived 
since  Abel  the  just,  and  Cain  the  fratricide,  resemble, 
more  or  less,  the  one  or  the  other.  Abel  and  Cain 
are  the  types  of  those  two  kingdoms  which  are  gov¬ 
erned  by  contrary  laws,  and  by  different  masters,  and 
which  are  called  the  kingdom  of  God  and  the  kingdom 
of  the  world.  These  kingdoms  are  not  distinguished 
from  each  other  because  blood  is  shed  in  one  and  not  in 
the  other,  but  because  in  the  one  life  is  offered  through 
love,  and  in  the  other  it  is  taken  in  revenge.  In  the 


284 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


one  life  is  taken  by  man  to  assuage  his  passion,  and  in 
the  other  it  is  offered  to  God  as  an  expiatory  sacrifice. 

Mankind  has  never  lost  the  reminiscence  of  biblical 
traditions,  hut  has  always  believed  these  three  things 
with  an  unconquerable  faith:  that  the  effusion  of  blood 
is  necessary,  that  there  is  a  manner  of  shedding  blood 
which  is  purificatory,  and  another  mode  which  is  con¬ 
demnatory.  History  clearly  attests  these  truths.  It 
presents  to  us  the  narrative  of  cruel  acts,  of  bloody 
conquests,  of  the  overthrow  and  destruction  of  famous 
cities,  of  atrocious  murders  committed,  of  pure  victims 
offered  on  blood-stained  altars,  of  brothers  warring 
against  brothers,  of  the  rich  oppressing  the  poor,  and 
of  fathers  tyrannizing  over  their  children,  until  the 
earth  appears  to  us  like  an  immense  sea  of  blood,  which 
neither  the  piercing  breath  of  the  winds  can  dry  up,  nor 
the  scorching  rays  of  the  sun  can  absorb.  This  general 
belief  is  no  less  clearly  revealed  by  the  bloody  sacrifices 
offered  to  God  upon  every  altar,  and  finally,  by  the 
legislation  of  all  nations,  whereby  he  who  takes  the  life 
of  another  is  always  and  everywhere  condemned  to  lose 
his  own  life.  In  the  tragedy  of  Orestes ,  Euripides  makes 
Apollo  utter  these  words:  “Helen  is  not  accountable 
for  the  Trojan  war;  her  beauty  was  only  the  means 
which  the  gods  made  use  of  in  order  to  enkindle  a  war 
between  twTo  nations,  and  by  the  shedding  of  blood  to 
purify  the  earth,  which  was  corrupted  by  a  multitude  of 
crimes/’  The  poet,  in  this  passage,  is  only  the  echo  of 
the  traditions  of  his  own  people,  and  of  humanity, 
which  proclaims  that  by  the  effect  of  a  mysterious  cause, 
there  is  a  secret  virtue  of  purification  in  the  shedding  of 
blood. 

As  sacrifice  supposes  the  existence  of  this  cause,  and 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM.  285 

of  this  virtue  of  purification,  it  is  evident  that  blood 
acquired  this  virtue  as  a  consequence  of  this  cause,  at 
an  epoch  anterior  to  that  of  bloody  sacrifices ;  and  as 
these  sacrifices  were  instituted  from  the  time  of  Abel, 
it  is  certain  that  both  the  cause  and  the  virtue  of  which 
we  speak  were  anterior  to  Abel,  and  contemporaneous 
with  a  great  event  in  paradise,  from  which  this  virtue 
and  its  cause  must  have  necessarily  originated.  This 
great  event  was  the  Adamic  prevarication.  The  flesh 
being  guilty  in  Adam,  and  in  the  flesh  of  Adam  that  of 
all  the  species,  in  order  that  the  punishment  should  be 
proportioned  to  the  fault,  it  was  necessary  that  the  pen¬ 
alty  should  affect  the  flesh,  even  as  the  sin  had  done, 
from  whence  the  necessity  of  the  perpetual  effusion  of 
human  blood.  But  the  promise  of  a  Redeemer  had  fol¬ 
lowed  the  sin  of  Adam,  and  this  promise  substituted  the 
Redeemer  for  the  guilty,  and  suspended  the  execution 
of  the  sentence  until  the  coming  of  the  Saviour.  This 
is  why  Abel,  who  was  the  depositary  through  Adam, 
both  of  the  condemnatory  sentence  and  of  the  promise 
which  suspended  its  execution  until  the  coming  of  the 
substitute  who  was  to  suffer  for  the  guilty,  instituted 
the  only  sacrifice  which  could  then  be  acceptable  to 
God,  the  commemorative  and  symbolical  sacrifice. 

The  sacrifice  of  Abel  was  so  perfect  that  it  comprised 
in  an  extraordinary  manner  all  the  Catholic  dogmas. 
As  a  sacrifice  in  general,  it  was  an  act  of  thanksgiving 
and  adoration  toward  the  omnipotent  and  sovereign  God. 
As  a  bloody  sacrifice  it  proclaimed  the  dogma  of  the 
Adamic  prevarication,  and  that  of  the  free  will  of  the 
prevaricator,  who  could  not  have  been  guilty  if  deprived 
of  the  exercise  of  free  will.  It  likewise  proclaimed  the 

25* 


286 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


dogma  of  the  transmission  of  sin  and  of  penalty,  with¬ 
out  which  Adam  alone  would  have  had  to  suffer  punish¬ 
ment;  and  it  also  proclaimed  the  dogma  of  solidarity, 
without  which  Abel  would  not  have  inherited  sin.  This 
sacrifice  was  at  the  same  time  an  acknowledgment  of 
the  justice  of  God,  and  of  the  care  that  Providence 
exercises  over  human  affairs.  If  we  consider  it,  as  .re¬ 
gards  the  victims  offered  to  the  Lord,  it  was  a  commem¬ 
oration  both  of  the  promise  made  to  the  true  criminal 
at  the  time  that  the  penalty  was  inflicted,  and  also  of 
the  reversibility  in  virtue  of  which  those  who  were  pun¬ 
ished  for  the  fault  of  Adam  were  to  be  ransomed  through 
the  merits  of  the  Saviour ;  and  of  that  substitution  in 
virtue  of  which  He  who  was  to  come  was  to  offer  him¬ 
self  as  a  sacrifice  for  mankind;  and  finally,  these  victims 
being  lambs  without  blemish,  and  the  firstlings  of  the 
flock,  the  sacrifice  of  Abel  typified  the  true  sacrifice  in 
which  the  most  pure  and  meek  Lamb,  the  only  Son  of 
the  Father,  offered  himself  as  a  holy  and  perfect  sacri¬ 
fice  for  the  sins  of  the  world.  In  this  manner  Catholi¬ 
cism,  in  its  entirety,  which  explains  and  includes  all 
things,  is,  by  a  miracle  of  condensation,  itself  explained 
and  contained  in  the  first  bloody  sacrifice  offered  by  man 
to  God.  What  a  surprising  virtue  does  the  Catholic 
religion  possess,  which  gives  it  so  infinite  a  power  of 
expansion  and  condensation !  How  wonderful  is  the 
immense  variety  of  those  doctrines  which  we  behold 
comprised  in  this  one  symbol !  And  how  perfect  and 
comprehensive  is  this  symbol  which  contains  so  many 
and  so  great  things!  Such  sublime  consonances  and 
harmonies  and  perfections  of  so  surpassing  a  beauty  are 
beyond  the  comprehension  of  man,  and  they  not  only 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


exceed  all  that  we  can  understand,  but  likewise  all  that 
we  could  desire,  or  imagine. 

In  the  course  of  successive  generations,  traditions 
gradually  became  changed  and  obscured  in  the  mem¬ 
ory  and  understanding  of  men.  God,  in  his  infinite 
wisdom,  did  not  permit  that  all  remembrance  of  these 
great  biblical  traditions  should  be  effaced;  but  in  the 
midst  of  the  ceaseless  agitation  in  which  the  nations 
were  plunged  who  were  always  at  war  with  each  other, 
and  who  all  lay  prostrate  at  the  feet  of  their  idols,  these 
reminiscences  became  more  and  more  indistinct,  until 
they  were  nothing  more  than  uncertain  and  confused 
impressions.  It  was  then  that,  from  the  vague  idea  of 
a  primitive  fault  transmitted  through  the  blood,  men  de¬ 
duced  the  consequence  that  it  was  necessary  to  offer 
the  blood  of  man  as  a  sacrifice  to  God.  Then  sacrifice 
ceased  to  be  symbolical  and  became  real;  but  as  in  the 
divine  design,  the  sacrifice  of  the  Redeemer  was  alone 
efficacious,  so  these  human  sacrifices  were  of  no  avail. 
These  sacrifices,  however,  imperfect  and  inefficacious  as 
they  wTere,  virtually  comprised,  on  the  one  hand,  the 
dogmas  of  original  sin  and  of  its  transmission,  with  the 
dogma  of  solidarity,  and  on  the  other  hand,  the  dogma 
of  reversibility  and  that  of  substitution- — although  their 
unworthiness  prevented  them  from  symbolizing  either 
the  true  substitution  or  the  true  substitute. 

When  the  ancients  sought  an  innocent  and  spotless 
victim,  and  conducted  it  to  the  altar  crowned  with 
flowers,  in  order  that  by  its  death  it  might  appease  the 
divine  wrath,  and  thus  be  offered  in  satisfaction  for  the 
sins  of  the  people;  when  they  did  this,  they  expressed 
by  such  an  act  much  more  of  truth  than  error.  They 
confessed  by  these  sacrifices  that  the  divine  justice  re- 


288 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


quired  to  be  appeased,  that  it  could  not  be  so  without 
the  shedding  of  blood,  that  one  victim  could  atone  for 
the  sins  of  all,  and  that  the  victim  who  was  to  effect  the 
work  of  redemption  must  be  innocent.  They  wmre  right 
in  all  these  points,  for  they  simply  implicitly  affirmed 
the  great  Catholic  dogmas.  .Their  only  mistake  was 
that  of  supposing  that  there  could  exist  a  man  so  inno¬ 
cent  and  just,  as  to  be  an  efficacious  offering  of  expia¬ 
tion  for  the  sins  of  the  people  as  a  Redeemer.  This 
one  error,  this  one  act  of  forgetfulness  of  a  Cath¬ 
olic  dogma,  converted  the  world  into  a  sea  of  blood, 
and  would  of  itself  have  been  sufficient  to  prevent  the 
advent  of  all  true  civilization.  A  ferocious  and  cruel 
barbarism  is  the  legitimate  and  inevitable  consequence 
of  the  forgetfulness  of  any  Christian  dogma,  whatever 
it  may  be. 

The  error  we  have  just  indicated  only  consisted  in 
one  thing,  and  as  regarded  under  a  certain  point  of  view. 
The  blood  of  man  cannot  expiate  original  sin,  which  is 
the  sin  of  the  species,  the  supreme  human  sin:  but  it 
nevertheless  may,  and  does,  expiate  certain  individual 
crimes,  from  which  follows  not  only  the  legitimacy,  but 
also  the  necessity  and  propriety  of  the  penalty  of  death. 

The  universality  of  this  institution  testifies  to  the  uni¬ 
versality  of  the  belief  of  mankind  in  the  purifying  effi¬ 
cacy  of  blood,  when  shed  under  certain  circumstances, 
and  in  its  expiatory  virtue  when  it  is  thus  shed.  Sine 
sanguine  non  Jit  remission  Mankind  could  never  have 
extinguished  the  common  debt  which  it  contracted  in 
Adam  without  the  blood  shed  by  the  Redeemer.  Where- 
ever  a  people  have  attempted  to  abolish  the  death  pen- 


*  Heb.  ix.  22. 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


289 


alty,  society  has  distilled  blood  through  every  pore. 
The  suppression  of  the  penalty  of  blood  in  Saxe-Royal 
was  followed  by  the  great  and  bloody  battle  of  May, 
which  endangered  the  life  of  the  state  to  such  a  degree 
that  it  could  only  be  saved  by  foreign  intervention. 
Merely  its  proclamation  in  Frankfort,  in  the  name  of 
the  common  country,  placed  the  affairs  of  Germany  in 
worse  confusion  and  disorder  than  had  existed  during 
any  other  period  of  its  turbulent  history.  The  suppres¬ 
sion  of  this  penalty  which  was  decreed  by  the  provisional 
government  of  France,  was  succeeded  by  those  frightful 
days  of  June  which,  with  all  their  horrors,  will  live  for¬ 
ever  in  the  memories  of  men;  and  added  to  these,  others 
would  have  followed  in  rapid  succession  if  a  pure  victim, 
and  one  acceptable  to  God,  had  not  offered  itself  in 
atonement  for  the  sins  of  that  guilty  government  and 
sinful  country.  How  far  the  virtue  of  that  innocent  and 
august  blood  may  extend  no  one  knows,  or  can  know: 
but,  humanly  speaking,  it  may  be  asserted  without  fear 
of  being  contradicted  by  facts,  that  blood  will  again  flow 
abundantly  if  France  does  not  again  submit  to  the  juris¬ 
diction  of  that  providential  law  which  no  people  may 
safely  neglect. 

I  shall  not  close  this  chapter  without  making  a  reflec¬ 
tion  which  I  consider  as  of  the  highest  importance.  If 
the  abolition  of  the  penalty  of  death  for  political  crimes 
has  been  productive  of  such  disastrous  consequences, 
how  terrible  would  be  the  effect  if  this  suppression  ex¬ 
tended  to  crimes  of  the  common  order!  For  it  is  evi¬ 
dent  to  me  that  the  suppression  of  the  first  brings  with 
it,  in  a  given  time,  the  suppression  of  the  second;  and 
it  is  capable  of  being  demonstrated  that  from  this  double 
suppression  proceeds  the  abolition  of  all  human  penalties. 


290 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


To  suppress  the  extreme  penalty  for  crimes  which  en¬ 
danger  the  security  of  the  state,  that  is  to  say,  the 
security  of  all,  and  to  enforce  it  for  crimes  committed 
against  simple  individuals,  appears  to  me  to  be  a  mon¬ 
strous  inconsistency,  which  must  sooner  or  later  produce 
the  logical  and  inevitable  consequences  which  always 
attend  human  events.  On  the  other  hand,  to  abolish  in 
either  case,  as  excessive,  the  death  penalty  for  capital 
crimes,  would  be  equivalent  in  its  results  to  the  abolition 
of  every  kind  of  penalty  for  lesser  offenses;  for  if  you 
once  admit  any  other  than  the  death  penalty  for  capital 
crimes,  you  would  violate  the  laws  of  a  just  proportion, 
and  then  whatever  punishment  may  be  applied  to  the 
lesser  class  of  offenses  must  in  equity  be  considered  as 
oppressive  and  unjust. 

If  the  abolition  of  the  death  penalty  for  political 
offenses  is  founded  on  the  negation  of  political  crimes, 
and  if  this  negation  is  justified  by  the  fallibility  of  the 
state  in  these  matters,  it  is  clear  that  every  system  of 
penalty  should  be  suppressed;  because  fallibility  in 
the  political  order  supposes  fallibility  in  the  moral 
order,  and  this  double  fallibility  supposes  the  radical 
incompetency  of  the  state  to  designate  any  human 
action  as  a  crime.  Now,  if  this  fallibility  is  a  fact,  all 
governments  are  incompetent  to  punish,  because  they 
are  all  fallible. 

He  alone  can  find  another  guilty  of  crime  who  may 
accuse  him  of  sin;  and  he  alone  can  inflict  punishment 
for  the  one  who  may  impose  it  for  the  other.  Govern¬ 
ments  have  only  power  to  impose  a  penalty  upon  man 
in  their  quality  of  being  so  delegated  by  God,  and  the 
human  law  is  only  competent  when  it  is  the  application 
of  the  divine  law.  When  governments  reject  God  and 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


291 


his  law,  they  deny  their  own  existence.  To  deny  the 
divine  law  and  to  affirm  the  human  law,  to  affirm  crime 
and  to  deny  sin,  to  deny  God  and  affirm  any  government 
whatever,  is  to  deny  what  one  affirms,  and  to  affirm  what 
one  denies — it  is  to  commit  the  most  palpable  contradic¬ 
tions.  Then  society  is  exposed  to  the  storms  of  revolu¬ 
tion,  which  soon  restore  the  logical  empire  that  governs 
human  affairs,  by  suppressing  human  contradictions 
either  with  an  absolute  and  inexorable  affirmation  or 
with  an  absolute  and  peremptory  negation. 

The  atheism  of  the  law  and  of  the  state,  or,  what 
amounts  to  the  same  thing  expressed  in  a  different  man¬ 
ner,  the  complete  secularization  of  the  law  of  the  state, 
is  a  theory  which  can  never  coincide  with  the  theory  of 
penalty.  The  first  comes  from  man  in  his  condition  of 
voluntary  separation  from  God,  and  the  other  comes 
from  God  when  in  a  state  of  union  with  man. 

Governments  seem  to  be  endowed  with  an  unerring 
instinct  which  teaches  them  that  they  can  only  be  just 
or  strong  in  the  name  of  God.  Thus  it  happens  that 
whenever  they  commence  to  secularize,  that  is  to  say, 
to  separate  themselves  from  God,  they  always  begin  to 
relax  the  severity  of  penalties,  as  if  they  were  conscious 
that  their  right  was  weakened.  The  loose  modern  theo¬ 
ries  respecting  criminal  law  are  contemporaneous  with  the 
decadence  of  religion,  and  they  have  prevailed  in  the 
codes  whenever  the  complete  secularization  of  political 
power  was  established.  When  this  takes  place,  the 
criminal  becomes  gradually  transformed  in  the  eyes  of 
men,  until  finally  what  was  regarded  with  horror  by  our 
ancestors  only  excites  the  commiseration  of  their  chil¬ 
dren.  He  who  was  formerly  called  criminal,  even  loses 
this  name,  and  is  spoken  of  as  eccentric  or  insane.  The 


292 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


modern  rationalists  designate  crime  as  a  misfortune. 
But  the  day  will  come  when  these  objects  of  misfortune 
will  gain  the  ascendency,  and  will  administer  the  gov¬ 
ernment,  and  then  innocence  will  alone  he  considered  as 
a  crime.  The  penal  theories  of  absolute  monarchies,  in 
the  days  of  their  decadence,  have  given  rise  to  the  theo¬ 
ries  of  the  liberal  schools,  and  these  theories  have  re¬ 
duced  affairs  to  the  extreme  peril  in  which  we  now  find 
them.  After  these  schools  come  the  socialists  with  their 
theories  of  holy  insurrections  and  heroic  crimes;  nor 
will  this  be  the  last,  for  there  dawns  in  the  distant  hori¬ 
zon  a  still  more  bloody  future.  The  new  gospel  of  the 
world  is  perhaps  writing  in  a  prison;  nor  will  the  world 
suffer  more  than  it  deserves  when  it  is  evangelized  by 
these  new  apostles. 

Those  who  have  made  the  w'orld  believe  that  this  earth 
may  be  converted  into  a  paradise,  have  yet  more  readily 
made  it  believe  that  it  ought  to  be  a  paradise  where 
blood  will  never  be  shed.  The  evil  is  not  in  the  illusion, 
but  in  the  very  day  and  hour  that  this  fallacy  is  every¬ 
where  accepted;  blood  will  then  gush  forth  from  the 
rocks,  and  the  earth  will  become  a  hell.  Man  cannot 
aspire  to  an  impossible  felicity  in  this  obscure  valley 
of  our  dark  pilgrimage,  without  losing  the  little  hap¬ 
piness  he  already  possesses. 


- 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


293 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Recapitulation— Inefficacy  of  all  the  solutions  proposed— Necessity 

of  a  higher  solution. 

We  have  now  seen  how  the  liberty  granted  to  men 
and  angels,  with  the  faculty  of  choosing  between  good 
and  evil  which  accompanies  it,  and  constitutes  its  imper¬ 
fection  and  its  danger,  is  not  only  in  accordance  with 
the  justice  of  God,  but  is  likewise  expedient.  We  have 
also  seen  how  the  exercise  of  this  liberty,  thus  consti¬ 
tuted,  produced  evil  and  sin,  and  how  sin  profoundly 
altered  the  order  which  God  established  in  creation, 
and  changed  the  perfect  manner  of  being  which  all 
creatures  received  from  God.  Going  still  farther,  after 
having  given  an  account  of  the  disorder  into  which  the 
divine  work  was  thus  thrown,  we  proposed  to  demon¬ 
strate,  and  we  believe  that  we  have  succeeded  in  so 
doing,  that  if  angels  and  men  were  endowed  with  free 
will,  and  permitted  to  make  use  of  this  formidable 
faculty  in  order  to  draw  evil  out  of  good,  and  corrupt 
all  things,  the  ones  by  their  revolt  and  the  others  by 
their  disobedience,  and  both  by  sin;  that  if  God  per¬ 
mitted  them  this  disturbing  faculty  of  liberty,  he  did 
so  because  he  had  reserved  for  himself  the  power  to 
neutralize  this  disturbing  influence,  and  to  draw  good 
out  of  evil,  and  order  out  of  disorder.  By  this  means, 
God  fully  restored  things  to  a  more  perfect  state  of 
harmony  and  agreement  than  that  destroyed  by  the 
revolted  angels  and  the  sins  of  men.  In  order  to  render 
the  existence  of  evil  impossible,  it  would  have  been 
necessary  to  suppress  angelical  and  human  liberty,  which 

26 


294 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


are  a  great  good.  Therefore  God,  in  his  infinite  wis¬ 
dom,  so  ordered  things  that,  without  suppressing  the  cause 
which  might  lead  to  the  existence  of  evil,  he  made  this 
very  evil  the  means  of  producing  a  still  greater  harmony 
and  higher  perfection^ 

The  course  of  this  argument  has  enabled  me  to  prove 
that  the  ultimate  end  of  things  is  to  manifest,  each  in 
its  own  manner,  the  sublime  perfections  of  God,  so  as 
to  become  as  it  were  the  effulgent  rays  of  his  beauty, 
and  the  magnificent  reflection  of  his  glory.  Under  this 
point  of  view,  and  as  regards  this  universal  finality,  it 
has  been  easy  to  demonstrate  that  the  disobedience  of 
man  and  the  angelical  rebellion  have  produced  the  most 
excellent  results.  As  a  consequence  of  this  double 
revolt,  those  creatures  who  had  before  only  served  as 
manifestations  of  the  divine  goodness  and  magnificence, 
from  that  time  also  reflected  all  the  sublimity  of  his 
mercy  and  all  the  grandeur  of  his  justice.  Order  only 
became  universal  and  absolute  when  creation  reflected 
all  the  divine  splendors. 

We  have  passed  from  the  discussion  of  the  problems 
respecting  universal  order,  to  the  contemplation  of  those 
which  relate  to  the  general  order  of  human  events.  In 
taking  this  extended  view,  we  have  beheld  the  spread  of 
evil  in  humanity  to  be  commensurate  with  that  of  sin ; 
we  have  seen  in  what  manner  humanity  existed  in  Adam, 
and  how  the  species  sinned  in  him,  the  individual.  Thus, 
as  sin  had  of  itself  the  power  to  disturb  the  order  of  the 
universe,  so  it  likewise  possessed  that  power,  and  with 
greater  reason,  as  regards  man.  In  order  that  what  we 
have  already  said,  and  what  we  have  still  to  say  on  this 
subject  may  be  entirely  comprehended,  it  is  best  here  to 
remark,  that  if  the  universal  end  of  things  is  to  mani- 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


295 


fest  the  perfections  of  God,  the  particular  end  of  man 
is  to  preserve  his  union  with  God,  who  is  the  object  of 
his  final  felicity  and  repose.  Sin  destroyed  the  order  of 
human  things  by  severing  this  bond  of  union  which  con¬ 
stitutes  our  special  end,  and  from  that  moment  the  prob¬ 
lem,  as  regards  humanity,  consists  in  discovering  the 
means  through  which  evil  can  be  overcome  in  its  effects 
and  in  its  cause :  in  its  effects,  that  is  to  say,  in  the 
corruption  of  the  individual  and  of  the  species,  and  in 
all  the  consequences  of  this  corruption,  and  also  in  its 
cause,  that  is  to  say,  in  sin. 

God,  who  is  most  simple  in  his  works,  because  he  is 
perfect  in  his  essence,  conquers  evil  in  its  cause  and  in 
its  effects  by  the  secret  virtue  of  one  single  transforma¬ 
tion.  But  this  is  so  radical  and  wonderful  in  its  nature, 
that  through  it  all  that  was  evil  becomes  good,  and 
all  imperfection  is  changed  into  sovereign  perfection. 
So  far  we  have  attempted  to  prove,  how  God  trans¬ 
forms  the  very  effects  of  evil  and  sin  into  instruments 
of  good.  All  these  effects  proceed  from  a  primitive  cor¬ 
ruption  of  the  individual  and  of  the  species;  considered 
in  themselves,  they  are,  therefore,  only  a  lamentable 
misfortune  in  the  individual  and  in  the  species.  Who¬ 
ever  speaks  of  misfortune,  speaks  of  an  evil  produced 
by  a  cause  independent  of  our  will;  and  if  this  cause  is 
among  the  number  of  those  whose  action  is  constant, 
then  it  is  plain  that  this  misfortune  is  in  its  nature  in¬ 
evitable.  In  imposing  misfortune  as  a  penalty,  God 
has  rendered  its  transformation  possible  by  means  of  its 
voluntary  acceptance  by  man.  When  man,  aided  by  God, 
heroically  accepts  misfortune  as  a  just  penalty,  this  ac¬ 
ceptance  does  not  change  the  nature  of  the  penalty,  con¬ 
sidered  in  itself — for  this  transformation  would  be  in  all 


296  ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 

respects  impossible — but  it  thereby  acquires  a  new  and 
extraordinary  power,  an  expiatory  and  purifying  virtue. 
This  virtue  always  preserves  its  indestructible  identity, 
and  when  it  combines  in  a  supernatural  manner  with  a 
voluntary  acceptance,  it  produces  effects  which  naturally 
it  is  incapable  of  producing.  This  sublime  and  consol¬ 
ing  doctrine  is  alike  taught  us  by  God,  history,  and  rea¬ 
son,  and  it  constitutes  a  dogmatical,  historical,  and  ra¬ 
tional  truth. 

The  dogma  of  the  transmission  of  sin  and  of  penalty, 
and  that  of  the  purifying  action  of  the  latter  when  freely 
accepted,  led  us  naturally  to  the  examination  of  the  or¬ 
ganic  laws  of  humanity,  which  completely  explain  all 
the  revolutions  and  events  of  history.  The  assemblage 
of  these  laws  constitutes  human  order,  and  constitutes  it 
in  such  a  way  that  it  cannot  even  be  otherwise  imagined. 

After  having  given  the  Catholic  solutions  respecting 
these  profound  and  fearful  problems,  among  which  some 
relate  to  the  universal  order,  and  others  to  the  human 
order,  we  have  also  presented  the  solutions  invented  by 
the  liberal  school,  and  by  the  socialists  of  modern  times, 
showing  on  the  one  hand  the  sublime  harmonies  and 
consonances  of  the  Catholic  dogmas,  and  on  the  other 
the  extravagant  contradictions  of  the  rationalist  schools. 
The  radical  impotency  of  reason  to  find  the  true  solu¬ 
tion  of  these  fundamental  problems  explains  the  inco¬ 
herence  and  contradictions  which  are  observable  in 
the  human  solutions;  and  these  incoherent  contra¬ 
dictions  demonstrate  in  their  turn  how  absolutely 
impossible  it  is  for  man,  when  left  to  himself,  to  at¬ 
tain  those  serene  and  heavenly  heights  where  God  has 
established  the  secret  laws  of  all  things.  The  result 
of  this  investigation,  which,  as  regards  the  restricted 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


297 


limits  of  this  book,  has  been  somewhat  prolix,  lias  clearly 
proved  the  following  truths:  First,  that  the  negation  of 
any  Catholic  dogma  brings  with  it  the  negation  of  all 
other  Catholic  dogmas,  and  that  the  affirmation  of  a 
single  Catholic  dogma  involves  the  affirmation  of  all. 
This  is  an  invincible  demonstration  that  Catholicism  is 
an  immense  synthesis  placed  beyond  the  laws  of  space 
and  time;  and,  secondly,  that  no  rationalist  school  de¬ 
nies  all  Catholic  dogmas  at  once,  for  which  reason  all  those 
schools  are  condemned  to  inconsistency  and  absurdity; 
and,  thirdly,  that  it  is  impossible  to  escape  this  inconsist¬ 
ency  and  absurdity,  without  the  absolute  acceptance  of 
every  Catholic  dogma,  or  without  denying  them  all  with 
so  radical  a  negation  as  would  result  in  nihilism. 

Finally,  after  having  separately  examined  each  of 
those  dogmas  which  refer  to  the  universal  order  and 
the  human  order,  we  have  considered  their  harmo¬ 
nious  and  magnificent  combination  in  the  institution 
of  bloody  sacrifices,  whose  origin  is  traced  to  that 
first  era  immediately  succeeding  the  paradisiacal  ca¬ 
tastrophe.  This  mysterio’us  institution  was  not  only 
the  commemoration  of  that  great  tragedy,  and  of  the 
promise  of  a  Redeemer  made  by  God  to  our  first  pa¬ 
rents,  but  it  was  also  the  incarnation  of  the  dogmas  of 
solidarity,  of  reversibility,  of  imputation,  and  of  substi¬ 
tution.  Finally,  it  was  the  perfect  symbol  of  the  future 
sacrifice,  which  was  afterward  realized  in  the  fullness  of 
time.  When  the  nations  forgot  the  biblical  traditions, 
they  lost  the  proper  signification  of  the  institution  of 
bloody  sacrifices.  By  the  corruption  of  this  dogma  is 
explained  the  universal  institution  of  human  sacrifices, 
which  universality  attests  both  the  truth  of  tradition 
and  the  fatal  mistakes  which  men  commit  when  they  for- 

26* 


298 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


get  any  portion  of  the  teachings  of  a  religious  dogma. 
With  this  view  we  exposed  the  great  error  and  the 
great  truth  which  were  combined  in  the  institution  of 
human  sacrifices,  which  at  first  sight  appears  to  be  a 
profound  mystery  incapable  of  explanation.  Its  great 
error  was  to  attribute  to  man  the  expiatory  virtue  which 
alone  existed  in  Him  who,  according  to  the  voice  of 
ancient  prophecies  and  traditions,  was  to  come  in  the 
plenitude  of  time.  Its  great  truth  consisted  in  attribu¬ 
ting  to  the  shedding  of  blood,  under  certain  conditions, 
the  power  of  appeasing  the  divine  wrath  to  a  certain 
degree  and  up  to  a  certain  point.  The  concatenation 
and  connection  of  these  deductions  led  us  to  examine 
the  question  of  the  penalty  of  death.  We  have  seen, 
in  the  universal  institution  of  this  penalty,  a  confession 
of  the  faith  of  mankind  in  all  ages  and  in  all  countries 
in  the  expiatory  virtue  attributed  to  the  effusion  of  blood. 
We  have  interrogated  the  rationalist  schools  upon  this 
vexed  question,  and  their  responses  and  solutions  have 
appeared  to  us  contradictory  and  absurd.  Forcing  them 
from  contradiction  to  contradiction,  we  finally  compelled 
them  to  choose  between  the  acceptance  of  the  penalty 
of  death  for  political  crimes  as  well  as  for  those  of  the 
common  order,  or  that  of  the  radical  and  absolute  nega¬ 
tion  of  crime  and  of  all  penalty. 

It  only  remains  for  us,  at  this  point  of  our  discussion, 
in  order  to  bring  it  to  a  successful  termination,  to  recall, 
with  that  sentiment  of  veneration  which  holy  fear  and 
love  inspire,  the  mystery  of  mysteries,  the  sacrifice  of 
sacrifices,  the  dogma  of  dogmas.  We  have  contem¬ 
plated  the  marvels  of  the  divine  order,  and  the  harmony 
of  the  universal  order,  and  finally,  the  sublime  adapta¬ 
tions  of  the  human  order.  We  must  now  rise  still  higher 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


299 


and  draw  near  to  that  majestic  height  which  governs  and 
commands  all  the  elevated  mysteries  of  Catholicism. 
There,  we  behold  in  all  his  grandeur,  merciful  and  at  the 
same  time  terrible,  formidable  and  most  gentle,  Him  who 
was  to  come,  and  who  came,  and  who  by  his  coming  drew 
all  things  unto  him,  and  united  all  things  with  him  in 
strongest  and  most  loving  bonds.  He  is  the  solution  of 
all  problems,  the  object  of  all  prophecies,  the  reality  of 
all  types,  the  end  of  all  dogmas,  the  confluence  of  the 
divine,  universal,  and  human  orders,  the  key  of  all  mys¬ 
teries,  the  explanation  of  all  enigmas,  the  promised  one 
of  God,  the  desired  of  the  patriarchs,  the  expected  of 
nations,  the  father  of  the  afflicted,  he  whom  the  choirs 
of  nations  and  of  angels  reverence,  the  alpha  and  omega 
of  all  things. 

Universal  order  consists  in  all  things  being  harmoni¬ 
ously  ordained  with  regard  to  that  supreme  end  which 
God  assigns  to  the  universality  of  things;  and  this 
supreme  end  consists  in  the  exterior  manifestation  of 
the  divine  perfections.  All  creatures  proclaim  the  good¬ 
ness,  and  magnificence,  and  omnipotence  of  God.  The 
saints  magnify  his  mercy,  and  the  reprobate  his  justice. 
What  creature  among  all  the  created  celebrates  his  love 
in  so  exalted  a  manner  as  the  lost  do  His  justice,  and 
the  saved  His  mercy.  Such  being  the  case,  is  it  not 
clearly  manifest  that  there  should  arise  from  this  uni¬ 
verse,  formed  to  proclaim  the  divine  perfections,  a  com¬ 
mon  voice  forever  testifying  to  this  crowning  proof  of 
the  divine  love  and  the  divine  perfections? 

Human  order  consists  in  the  union  of  man  with  God, 
and  this  union  cannot  take  place  in  our  actual  condition 
and  in  our  actual  state  of  separation,  without  a  gigantic 
effort  to  raise  ourselves  to  God.  But  who  can  exact 


300 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


this  effort  of  one  who  is  deprived  of  strength?  Who 
will  command  man  to  raise  himself  from  the  depths  into 
which  he  has  fallen,  and  the  weight  of  sin  under  which 
he  groans,  to  the  heights  of  the  heavenly  mountain?  I 
know  that  the  voluntary  and  heroic  acceptance  of  afflic¬ 
tion,  of  my  cross,  will  elevate  me  beyond  myself;  but 
how  am  I  to  love  that  which  by  nature  I  abhor,  and 
how  hate  what  I  naturally  love?  how  am  I  to  do  this 
by  an  act  of  my  own  free  will?  I  am  commanded  to 
love  God,  and  I  feel  through  all  my  veins  the  corrosive 
love  of  myself.  I  am  ordered  to  walk,  and  I  am  bound 
in  chains.  I  cannot  acquire  any  merits  on  account  of 
my  sins,  and  I  cannot  get  rid  of  the  sins  which  oppress 
me  unless  some  one  delivers  me.  But  no  one  can  re¬ 
deem  me  unless  he  have  for  me  an  infinite  love  anterior 
to  any  merit  of  my  own;  and  where  can  I  find  such  a 
love?  I  am  scorned  of  God,  and  the  derision  of  the 
universe.  In  vain  shall  I  drag  myself  throughout  the 
earth;  my  disgrace  everywhere  follows  me;  and  in  vain 
shall  I  lift  my  eyes  toward  heaven,  from  whence  no 
cheering  ray  of  hope  descends  to  console  me. 

If  this  were  so,  the  Catholic  edifice,  which  has  been 
so  carefully  established,  must  fall,  deprived  of  its  crown¬ 
ing  glory,  and  of  that  foundation  stone  upon  which  it 
rests.  Like  a  new  tower  of  Babel,  raised  through 
pride  and  founded  upon  the  unstable  sand,  it  would  be 
utterly  demolished  by  the  fury  of  the  tempest.  Then 
human  order  and  universal  order  are  only  sonorous 
words,  and  all  thos.e  profound  problems  which  perplex 
and  sadden  humanity  remain  involved  in  an  invincible 
obscurity,  in  spite  of  the  vain  assemblage  of  Catholic 
solutions.  Although  they  are  more  consistent  than  the 
solutions  of  the  rationalist  schools,  yet  their  connection 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


301 


<, 


is  not  so  perfect  as  to  be  capable  of  resisting  the  efforts 
of  human  reason.  If  Catholicism  neither  says,  teaches, 
nor  contains  anything  more  than  has  been  declared, 
taught,  and  comprised  by  these  solutions,  then  it  is 
merely  a  philosophical  system  which  is  less  imperfect 
than  any  that  have  preceded  it,  and,  according  to  all 
probability,  less  perfect  than  others  which  are  yet  to 
come.  In  this  case,  it  may  be  charged  with  a  noto¬ 
rious  incompetency  to  solve  the  great  problems  respect¬ 
ing  God,  the  universe,  and  man.  God  is  not  perfect, 
if  he  does  not  love  with  an  infinite  love;  order  does 
not  exist  in  the  universe,  if  there  is  nothing  in  it  which 
displays  the  love  of  God;  and  as  to  man,  the  disorder 
into  which  he  has  fallen  through  sin  is  so  great  that  only 
infinite  love  can  save  him. 

Nor  let  it  be  said  that  God  being  infinitely  good  and 
merciful,  love  is  supposed,  and  as  it  were  hidden  in  his 
infinite  goodness  and  mercy;  because  love  is  in  its  na¬ 
ture  so  engrossing,  that  where  it  exists  it  necessarily 
governs  and  predominates  over  all  other  things.  Love 
is  not  contained,  but  containing;  it  is  not  hidden,  but  it 
makes  itself  known ;  such  is  its  nature,  that  wherever  it 
is  it  subjects  all  things,  and  seems  alone  to  exist.  It  is 
the  great  finality  which  subdues  all  things  and  arranges 
them  with  reference  to  itself.  He  who  loves,  if  he  love 
truly,  wTould  seem  to  be  as  one  mad,  so  that  when  his 
love  is  infinite  his  folly  appears  to  be  infinite. 

I  hear  a  voice  which  cries  aloud  in  my  heart,  and 
which  is  my  heart  itself — a  voice  that  speaks  within 
me,  and  which  is  even  myself  —  and  this  voice  says  to 
me:  If  thou  wishest  to  know  the  true  God,  consider 
who  it  is  that  loves  thee  so  as  to  become  as  a  fool 
for  thee,  and  who  it  is  that  aids  thee  to  love  Him,  even 


302 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


so  as  to  become  as .  a  fool  for  Him,  and  this  one  is 
the  true  God,  because  in  God  is  happiness,  and  to  be 
happy  is  to  love ;  it  is  to  be  enraptured  and  transported 
with  love,  and  forever  to  remain  in  this  ecstasy  of  bliss. 
Unless  love  call  me,  I  cannot  answer;  but  if  the  voice  I 
hear  is  that  of  love,  I  at  once  reply,  “ Behold  me;”  and 
I  will  follow  my  beloved  whithersoever  he  goeth,  without 
asking  him  to  what  place  he  goeth,  or  whither  he  leadeth 
me.  For  wherever  he  goeth  or  taketh  me,  there  we 
shall  still  be  with  our  love,  and  our  love  and  ourselves  is 
our  heaven. 

It  is  thus  that  I  would  love,  but  I  know  that  I  cannot 
thus  love,  and  that  I  can  find  no  object  to  love  me  in 
this  manner,  and  this  is  why  in  anguish  and  torment  I 
forever  move  in  a  circle  without  end.  Who  shall  break 
this  circle  wherein  I  perish?  and  who  shall  give  me  the 
wings  of  a  dove,  that  I  may  fly  away  to  beatific  heights 
where  I  shall  be  at  rest? 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Of  the  incarnation  of  the  Son  of  God  and  the  redemption  of 

mankind. 

In  order  to  fully  comprehend  how  universal  order  and 
human  order  are  constituted,  we  have  two  problems  to 
solve.  God  brought  good  out  of  the  primitive  prevari¬ 
cation,  and  in  this  way  manifested  two  of  his  greatest 
perfections — his  infinite  justice  and  his  infinite  mercy. 
This  however  was  not  enough.  That  the  order  and  har¬ 
mony,  which  attest  the  presence  of  God  in  all  his  works, 
should  reign  in  the  works  of  creation,  and  especially  in 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


303 


human  affairs,  it  was  also  necessary  that  the  sin  of  pre¬ 
varication  should  be  entirely  effaced;  for  whatever  might 
be  the  good  which  God  would  draw  from  it,  yet,  if  this 
sin  had  not  been  effaced,  the  supreme  evil  would  have 
seemingly  remained  unvanquished,  and  existed  as  it 
were  in  defiance  of  the  divine  power.  On  the  other 
hand,  nothing  was  more  worthy  the  infinite  goodness 
of  God  than  to  extend  a  strong  and  merciful  hand  to 
support  the  invincible  weakness  of  man,  that  he  might 
raise  himself  above  his  miserable  condition,  and  trans¬ 
form  the  consequences  of  his  sin  into  the  means  of  his 
own  salvation.  To  efface  sin,  and  so  to  strengthen  the 
sinner  that  he  can  freely  and  meritoriously  raise  him¬ 
self  from  the  fallen  state  to  which  sin  has  reduced  him — 
such  is  the  great  problem  which  Catholicism  must  solve, 
after  the  solution  of  all  other  problems,  if  it  aspire  to  be 
anything  more  than  one  of  those  numberless  systems, 
whose  labored  imperfections  attest  the  profound  and 
radical  impotence  of  human  reason. 

Catholicism  solves  these  two  problems  by  the  highest, 
the  most  ineffable,  most  incomprehensible,  and  most  glo¬ 
rious  of  all  its  mysteries ;  and  in  this  profound  mystery  all 
the  divine  perfections  are  united.  In  it  is  God,  with  his 
formidable  omnipotence,  his  perfect  wisdom,  his  mar¬ 
velous  goodness,  his  terrible  justice,  his  immense  mercy, 
and,  above  all,  with  that  unutterable  love  which  governs 
and  predominates  over  all  his  other  perfections.  This 
love  imperiously  demands  of  his  mercy  to  be  merciful, 
of  his  justice  to  be  just,  of  his  goodness  to  be  good,  of 
his  wisdom  to  be  wise,  and  of  his  omnipotence  to  be 
omnipotent ;  because  God  is  neither  omnipotence,  wis¬ 
dom,  goodness,  justice,  nor  mercy — God  is  love,  and 


804 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


only  love.  But  this  love  is  in  itself  all-powerful,  most 
wise,  good,  just,  and  merciful. 

It  was  love  which  supplicated  the  mercy  of  God  to 
give  hope  to  corrupt  and  fallen  man,  through  that  divine 
promise  of  a  future  Redeemer,  who  should  come  into  the 
world  to  take  upon  himself  and  conquer  sin.  It  was 
love  that  promised  this  Redeemer  in  paradise,  and  which 
sent  him  upon  earth;  it  was  love  that  came.  It  was 
love  that  assumed  human  flesh,  and  lived  the  life  of 
mortal  man,  and  died  the  death  of  the  cross,  and  rose 
again  in  his  body  and  in  his  glory.  It  is  in  love  and 
through  love  that  we  sinners  are  all  saved. 

The  most  glorious  mystery  of  the  incarnation  of  the 
Son  of  God  is  the  only  title  of  nobility  which  mankind 
can  claim.  I  am  not  surprised  at  the  contempt  which 
modern  rationalists  show  for  man ;  on  the  contrary, 
if  there  is  anything  which  I  cannot  understand  or  con¬ 
ceive,  it  is  the  circumspect  prudence  and  timid  reserve 
which  they  exhibit  in  this  matter.  When  I  consider 
man,  despoiled  by  his  own  fault  of  that  primal  state  of 
original  justice  and  sanctifying  grace  in  which  God 
placed  him ;  and  when  I  reflect  upon  his  very  imperfect 
and  contradictory  organization ;  and  when  I  consider 
the  blindness  of  his  understanding,  the  weakness  of  his 
will,  the  shameful  desires  of  his  flesh,  the  ardor  of  his 
concupiscence,  and  the  perversity  of  his  inclinations,  I 
cannot  imagine  or  comprehend  the  moderation  of  their 
expressions  of  disdain.  If  God  had  not  assumed  human 
nature,  and  in  assuming  it  elevated  it  to  himself,  and 
imparted  to  it  a  luminous  trace  of  the  divine  nobleness, 
it  must  be  confessed  that  words  could  not  express  the 
extreme  degradation  of  man.  As  to  myself,  I  can  say 
that  if  my  God  had  not  embraced  human  nature  in  the 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


305 


womb  of  a  woman,  and  if  he  had  not  died  upon  a  cross 
for  all  mankind,  the  meanest  reptile  which  I  trample 
under  my  feet  w~ould  seem  less  despicable  to  me  than 
man.  The  point  of  faith  which  most  oppresses  and 
weighs  upon  my  reason  is  that  of  the  nobility  and  dig¬ 
nity  of  the  human  species;  a  dignity  and  nobility  which 
I  wish  to  grasp  and  understand,  and  cannot.  It  is  in 
vain  that  I  turn  from  the  frightful  contemplation  of  the 
annals  of  crime,  and  reflect  upon  the  more  elevated  and 
serene  aspects  of  human  life ;  it  is  in  vain  that  I  recall 
the  remembrance  of  the  vaunted  virtues  of  those  whom 
the  world  calls  heroic,  and  of  whose  actions  history  is 
full,  because  my  conscience  tells  me  that  all  these  heroic 
virtues  resolve  themselves  into  heroic  vices,  which  in 
their  turn  are  but  a  blind  pride  and  an  insensate  ambi¬ 
tion.  Mankind  appears  to  me  like  an  immense  multi¬ 
tude,  prostrated  at  the  feet  of  its  heroes,  who  are  its 
idols ;  while  these  heroes,  like  idols,  are  adoring  them¬ 
selves.  Before  I  can  believe  in  the  nobleness  of  this 
stupid  multitude  I  must  receive  the  fact  as  a  revelation 
from  God.  He  who  denies  such  a  revelation  cannot 
affirm  his  own  greatness,  for  how  can  man  know  that  he 
is  noble  unless  God  has  revealed  it  to  him  ?  What  sur¬ 
passes  my  comprehension  and  astonishes  me  is,  that  any 
one  should  suppose  that  it  requires  a  weaker  faith  to 
believe  in  the  incomprehensible  mystery  of  the  dignity 
of  human  nature,  than  to  believe  in  the  adorable  mys¬ 
tery  of  God  made  man  in  the  womb  of  a  virgin,  by  the 
qmwer  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  It  only  proves  that  man 
always  remains  subject  to  faith,  and  that  when  he  seems 
to  reject  its  teachings  in  order  to  follow  his  own  reason, 
he  only  abandons  that  faith  which  is  divinely  mysterious 
in  order  to  embrace  what  is  mysteriously  absurd. 

27  ‘ 


306 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


The  incarnation  of  the  Son  of  God  was  not  only  a 
most  exalted  manifestation  of  infinite  love,  a  love  which 
is  the  perfection,  if  I  may  so  express  it,  of  the  divine 
perfections,  but  was  also  most  excellent  in  virtue  of 
other  profound  and  sublime  consequences.  The  supreme 
order  of  things  cannot  be  conceived,  if  all  things  do 
not  resolve  themselves  into  absolute  unity;  now,  with¬ 
out  this  prodigious  mystery,  creation  would  be  twofold, 
and  there  would  exist  a  dualism  in  the  universe  which 
would  be  the  symbol  of  a  perpetual  antagonism  de¬ 
structive  of  order.  On  the  one  side  wTas  God,  the 
universal  thesis,  and  on  the  other  his  creatures,  form¬ 
ing  a  universal  antithesis.  The  supreme  order  re¬ 
quired  a  synthesis,  sufficiently  vast  and  powerful  to 
reconcile,  by  union,  the  thesis  and  the  antithesis, 
the  Creator  and  the  creature.  That  this  union  of  the 
thesis  and  antithesis  in  the  synthesis  is  one  of  the  fun¬ 
damental  laws  of  the  universal  order,  is  clearly  seen 
when  we  consider  that  this  same  mystery  is  visible  in 
man  without  exciting  our  surprise,  which  in  God  causes 
us  so  much  astonishment.  Man,  considered  under  this 
point  of  view,  is  only  a  synthesis,  composed  of  an  incor¬ 
poreal  essence,  which  is  the  thesis,  and  of  a  corporeal 
substance,  which  is  the  antithesis.  When  we  consider 
man  as  composed  of  matter  and  spirit,  he  is  a  synthesis, 
but  when  we  regard  him  as  a  creature,  he  is  only  an 
antithesis,  which  must,  by  means  of  a  superior  synthesis, 
be  reduced  to  unity  conjointly  with  the  thesis,  which 
contradicts  it.  The  law  of  the  reduction  of  diversity 
into  unity,  or,  what  is  the  same,  of  every  thesis  with  its 
antithesis  into  a  supreme  synthesis,  is  a  visible  and  im¬ 
mutable  law.  The  only  difficulty  in  the  present  case  is 
in  finding  this  supreme  synthesis.  God  being  on  one 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


307 


side,  and  all  created  objects  on  the  other,  it  is  evident 
that  here  the  adjusting  synthesis  cannot  be  found  out¬ 
side  of  these  limits,  beyond  which  we  cannot  conceive  of 
anything  as  existing,  since  these  limits,  being  universal 
and  absolute,  comprise  all  things.  The  synthesis,  then, 
must  either  be  found  in  the  creature  or  in  God,  in  the 
antithesis  or  in  the  thesis,  or  in  both  simultaneously  or 
successively. 

If  man  had  remained  in  that  excellent  state  and  noble 
condition  in  which  he  was  first  placed  by  God,  diversity 
would  have  been  merged  into  unity,  and  the  created 
antithesis  would  have  united  with  the  creating  thesis  in 
a  supreme  synthesis,  by  the  deification  of  man.  God 
had  prepared  man  for  this  future  deification  when  he 
adorned  him  with  original  justice  and  sanctifying  grace. 
But  man  was  created  free,  and  be  made  use  of  his  sover¬ 
eign  liberty  to  deprive  himself  of  that  grace  and  renounce 
that  justice,  and  by  these  means  he  interposed  an  obstacle 
to  the  divine  will,  and  voluntarily  rejected  his  own  deifi¬ 
cation.  But  while  human  liberty  has  sufficient  power  to 
impede  the  accomplishment  of  the  divine  will  in  so  far 
as  it  is  relative,  yet  it  cannot  prevent  its  realization, 
wherein  this  will  is  absolute.  The  reduction  of  diversity 
into  unity  is  what  is  absolute  in  the  divine  will;  but  this 
reduction,  by  means  of  the  deification  of  man,  is  only 
relative  and  contingent,  or,  in  other  words,  God  wished 
to  establish  this  end  with  an  absolute  will,  but  the 
means  by  which  to  attain  it  he  wished  with  a  relative 
will ;  and  in  this,  as  in  all  things,  the  ineffable  wisdom 
of  God  is  conspicuous.  In  effect,  if  the  divine  will  had 
been  in  nothing  absolute,  God  would  not  have  been  sov¬ 
ereign;  and  if  this  will  bad  been  in  nothing  relative, 
human  liberty  would  have  been  impossible.  But  on 


308 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


account  of  this  will  being  at  the  same  time  relative  and 
absolute,  contingent  and  necessary,  the  coexistence  of 
the  sovereign  will  of  God  and  the  liberty  of  man  were 
rendered  possible,  and  were  realized.  As  a  sovereign, 
God  decreed  what  was  to  be,  and  man,  as  a  free  creature, 
determined  that  the  particular  manner  of  being  should 
differ  from  what  it  would  have  been  in  virtue  of  the 
divine  decree.  The  result  was  that  the  universal  order, 
decreed  by  God  with  an  absolute  will,  was  realized  by 
the  immediate  incarnation  of  God,  since  it  could  not  be 
realized  by  the  immediate  deification  of  man;  this  deifi¬ 
cation  being  altogether  impossible,  first,  with  a  relative 
impossibility  on  account  of  his  free  will,  and  then  with 
an  absolute  impossibility  on  account  of  sin. 

I  have  already  fully  demonstrated  how  great  is  the 
scope  and  the  universality  of  the  divine  solutions,  which 
do  not,  like  the  human  solutions,  overcome  one  obstacle 
and  leave  others  of  more  importance  unexplained;  nor 
do  they,  after  solving  a  difficulty,  fall  into  some  other 
and  still  greater  perplexity;  nor  do  they  clear  a  prob¬ 
lem  in  one  point  of  view,  and  leave  it  more  embarrassed 
under  other  aspects  than  it  had  previously  been;  but 
the  divine  solutions  at  once  suppress  all  obstacles,  solve 
all  difficulties,  and  clear  all  problems,  shedding  upon 
their  darkness  a  full  light  which  dissipates  all  obscurity. 
This  characteristic  of  the  divine  solutions  is  especially 
observable  in  the  adorable  mystery  of  the  incarnation 
of  the  Son  of  God,  because  this  was  at  the  same  time 
the  sovereign  means  of  reducing  all  to  unity,  the  divine 
condition  of  order  in  the  universe;  and  it  was  likewise 
a  supernatural  means  of  restoring  order  to  a  fallen  hu¬ 
manity.  The  radical  impossibility  of  man  to  regain, 
unaided,  the  friendship  and  grace  of  God,  after  having 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


309 


sinned,  is  confessed  even  by  those  who  deny  the  greater 
number  of  Catholic  dogmas.  Mr.  Proudhon,  the  most 
learned  man  of  the  socialist  schools,  does  not  hesitate 
to  affirm  that  sin  supposed,  the  redemption  of  mankind 
through  the  merits  and  sufferings  of  God  was  rendered 
absolutely  necessary;  because  in  no  other  way  could 
sinful  man  be  redeemed.  The  Catholics  do  not  go  so 
far  as  this,  as  they  affirm  that  this  mode  of  redemption, 
without  being  necessary  or  the  only  one  possible,  was 
nevertheless  the  most  excellent  and  adorable. 

By  this  it  is  seen  that  God  wished  by  the  same  means 
to  vanquish  both  the  obstacle  which  opposed  the  accom¬ 
plishment  of  universal  order,  and  that  which  prevented 
human  order.  In  becoming  man  without  ceasing  to  be 
God,  He  united  man  synthetically  with  God;  and  as  the 
spiritual  essence  and  the  corporeal  substance  were  al¬ 
ready  united  in  man,  God  made  man  united  in  Himself 
in  a  sublime  manner,  on  the  one  hand  the  corporeal 
substance  and  the  spiritual  essence,  and  on  the  other 
the  Creator  of  all  things  with  all  his  creatures.  In 
the  fullness  of  time,  he  voluntarily  suffered  and  died  for 
man,  and  thus  took  upon  himself  that  primitive  sin  in 
consequence  of  wThich  Adam  and  all  his  race  had  become 
corrupted,  and  were  condemned  to  death. 

In  whatever  light  we  consider  this  great  mystery, 
it  offers  to  the  reflecting  mind  the  same  wonderful  fit¬ 
ness.  If  all  mankind  were  condemned  in  Adam,  there 
is  nothing  more  just  or  reasonable  than  that  all  should 
be  saved  through  another  and  more  perfect  Adam.  If 
we  have  been  condemned  in  virtue  of  the  law  of  solida¬ 
rity,  the  law  of  justice,  there  could  be  nothing  more  just 
or  reasonable  than  that  we  should  be  saved  by  the  law 


310 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


of  reversibility,  the  law  of  mercy.  It  would  not  have 
been  proper  or  equitable  that  we  should  suffer  for  the 
sins  of  one  who  was  our  representative,  if  it  were  not 
also  permitted  us  to  acquire  merit  through  the  merits  of 
one  who  became  our  substitute.  If  the  sins  of  the  first 
are  imputable  to  us,  it  is  entirely  conformable  with  the 
law  of  reason  that  the  merits  of  the  second  should  be 
reversible  to  us.  This  is  a  sufficient  response  to  those 
who  insolently  reproach  God  for  our  common  condemna¬ 
tion  in  the  persons  of  our  first  parents;  for,  even  if  we 
take  it  for  granted,  for  the  sake  of  argument,  that  we 
have  not  all  sinned  in  Adam,  by  what  right  can  we  com¬ 
plain  of  being  condemned  in  the  person  of  our  repre¬ 
sentative,  when  we  are  saved  by  the  merits  of  a  substi¬ 
tute  ?  To  rebel  against  God  on  account  of  the  law  of 
imputable  sins,  without  having  regard  to  that  other  law 
which  is  its  complement  and  explication,  and  by  which 
the  merits  of  others  are  reversible  to  us,  is  indeed  ex¬ 
treme  boldness,  and  supposes  either  bad  faith  or  shame¬ 
ful  ignorance.  It  is,  under  any  hypothesis,  a  real 
folly. 

Order  being  restored  in  the  universe  by  the  union  of 
all  things  in  God,  and  order  in  humanity,  in  so  far  as 
it  was  disturbed  by  sin,  it  only  remained,  in  order  fully 
to  restore  it  in  the  latter,  on  the  one  hand  to  put 
man  in  a  condition  to  rise  above  himself  so  as  to  ac¬ 
cept  tribulation  freely,  and  on  the  other  hand  to 
give  to  this  acceptance  a  meritorious  virtue.  God 
provided  for  both  necessities  by  the  divine  mystery 
of  the  incarnation,  so  rich  in  its  consequences,  and  so 
admirable  in  itself.  The  most  precious  blood  shed  upon 
Calvary  not  only  effaced  our  fault  and  satisfied  our  debt, 
but  by  its  inestimable  value  being  applied  to  us  enabled 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


311 


us  to  gain  merits.  Through  it  we  received  two  graces, 
that  of  accepting  tribulation,  and  that  other,  which  ren¬ 
ders  tribulation  meritorious,  when  freely  accepted  in  our 
Lord  and  through  our  Lord.  In  this  consists  the  sub¬ 
stance  of  the  Catholic  religion,  to  believe  with  a  firm 
faith  that  we  have  no  strength  in  ourselves,  but  that  we 
can  do  all  things  in  Him  and  through  Him  who  fortifies 
us.  If  this  is  rejected,  all  other  dogmas  are  pure  ab¬ 
stractions  divested  of  all  virtue  and  efficacy.  The  Cath¬ 
olic  God  is  not  an  abstract  nor  a  lifeless  God,  but  he  is 
a  personal  and  living  God,  who  acts  perpetually  out  of 
us  and  within  us.  He  surrounds  us  and  contains  us,  at 
the  same  time  that  he  is  contained  in  us.  The  mystery 
which  has  merited  for  us  grace,  and  without  which  we 
are  as  lost  and  in  darkness,  is  the  mystery  of  mysteries. 
All  others  are  adorable,  elevated,  and  sublime,  but  this 
is  the  culmination  of  all,  the  highest,  the  most  ador¬ 
able,  beyond  which  there  can  be  no  greater  height  nor 
elevation  attained,  nor  anything  above  it  worthy  of 
adoration. 

On  that  day,  forever  mournful  but  joyful,  when  the 
Son  of  God  made  man  was  crucified,  all  things  were 
restored  to  order,  and  in  this  divine  order  the  cross 
was  elevated  above  all  things  created.  Some  things 
manifested  the  goodness  of  God,  others  his  mercy, 
and  others  again  his  justice.  The  cross  alone  was 
the  symbol  of  his  love  and  the  pledge  of  his  grace.  It 
is  through  the  cross  that  confessors  have  suffered  for 
the  faith;  through  it  that  virgins  have  remained  chaste; 
that  the  Fathers  of  the  Desert  have  lived  angelic  lives; 
that  the  martyrs,  those  faithful  witnesses,  have  courage¬ 
ously  and  cheerfully  sacrificed  their  lives.  From  the 
sacrifice  of  the  cross  proceeded  that  wonderful  energy 


312 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


by  which  the  weak  conquered  the  strong,  by  which  dis¬ 
armed  and  proscribed  men  ascended  to  the  capitol,  and 
by  which  a  few  poor  fishermen  subdued  the  world.  It 
is  through  the  cross  that  all  those  who  attain  victory  are 
victorious;  that  those  who  combat  gain  strength;  that 
those  who  ask  for  mercy  obtain  pardon ;  that  the  needy 
are  succored;  that  the  sorrowing  are  comforted,  and 
those  who  weep  find  consolation.  Since  the  cross  was 
raised  on  Calvary,  there  is  no  dne  who  cannot  through 
it  live  in  heaven  while  yet  on  earth;  for  even  if  he  still 
endure  the  trials  of  this  world,  yet  he  already  dwells  in 
heaven  through  hope. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


Continuation  of  the  same  subject— Conclusion. 


The  sacrifice  of  the  cross  is  that  only  sacrifice  of  in¬ 
estimable  value,  to  which  all  others  that  are  noticed  either 
in  history  or  among  the  legends  of  nations  refer.  It 
is  the  sacrifice  which  both  the  Gentile  and  Jewish  peo¬ 
ple  sought  to  represent  in  their  bloody  sacrifices,  and 
which  Abel  fully  prefigured  in  an  acceptable  manner 
when  he  offered  to  God  the  first  born  and  most  perfect 
of  his  lambs.  The  true  altar  was  to  be  a  cross,  the  true 
victim  a  God,  and  the  true  priest  this  same  God,  both 
God  and  man — august  pontiff,  eternal  priest,  perpetual 
and  holy  victim,  who  came  to  accomplish  in  the  fullness 
of  time  what  he  had  promised  to  Adam  in  the  terrestrial 
paradise ;  and  he  executed  his  promise,  and  fulfilled  his 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


313 


word  in  the  most  faithful  manner,  for  God  neither 
threatens  nor  promises  in  vain.  He  had  threatened  to 
disinherit  man  if  he  abused  his  liberty  and  committed 
sin,  and  man  having  sinned  God  disinherited  him.  When 
God  disinherited  man  He  promised  him  a  Redeemer,  and 
at  the  appointed  time  He  came  in  person  to  effect  man’s 
redemption. 

The  coming  of  the  Saviour  solves  all  mysteries,  ex¬ 
plains  all  dogmas,  and  accomplishes  all  laws.  In  order 
to  fulfill  the  law  of  solidarity  he  takes  upon  himself  all 
human  sorrows,  and  in  order  to  fulfill  that  of  reversi¬ 
bility,  he  gives  to  the  world  the  abundance  of  divine 
graces  which  he  acquired  for  it  by  his  passion  and 
death.  In  Him  God  becomes  man  in  so  perfect  a  man¬ 
ner  that  upon  him  rests  the  full  weight  of  divine  wrath, 
and  in  him  man  is  so  perfect  and  divine  that  all  the 
heavenly  mercies  fall  upon  him  in  refreshing  and  con¬ 
soling  showers.  In  order  that  pain  might  become  holy, 
he  sanctifies  it  by  his  sufferings,  and  in  order  that  its 
acceptance  might  become  meritorious  he  accepts  it  him¬ 
self.  Who  would  have  the  strength  to  offer  his  own  will 
to  God  as  a  holocaust,  if  the  Man-God  had  not  made  an 
entire  abnegation  of  his  own  will,  in  order  to  accomplish 
that  of  his  most  holy  Father?  Who  could  elevate  him¬ 
self  to  the  grandeur  of  humility,  if  the  most  humble 
and  patient  Lamb  of  God  had  not  pointed  out  the  way 
by  which  to  attain  a  height  so  difficult  to  reach  ?  And 
who,  rising  still  higher,  could  overcome,  one  after  the 
other,  the  many  painful  obstacles  which  obstruct  the 
progress  to  perfection,  until  the  sublime  heights  of  di¬ 
vine  love  are  gained,  if  the  Saviour  had  not  trodden 
that  dolorous  path,  and  crimsoned  with  his  most  pure 
blood  every  step  of  that  sorrowful  way?  Who  but  Him 


314  ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 

could  have  taught  men  that  beyond  those  rugged  and 
gigantic  mountains,  whose  foundations  are  planted  in 
the  abyss,  and  whose  summits  penetrate  the  heavens, 
there  extended  immense  and  smiling  plains,  where  the 
air  is  mildly  tempered,  the  sky  pure,  the  waters  limpid 
and  refreshing,  the  breezes  gentle,  the  fields  verdant, 
the  harmonies  ineffable,  and  the  freshness  perpetual? 
There  life  is  a  true  existence  which  never  ends,  pleasure 
a  real  and  unceasing  delight,  and  love  a  holy  and  inex¬ 
tinguishable  affection.  There  is  found  unending  repose 
without  weariness,  rest  without  fatigue;  and  there  all 
the  joys  of  possession  are  mingled  in  an  unutterable 
manner  with  the  allurements  of  hope. 

The  Son  of  God  made  man,  and  crucified  for  man,  is 
not  only  the  realization  of  all  perfect  things  as  repre¬ 
sented  in  the  symbols,  and  prefigured  in  the  types,  but 
he  is  also  the  emblem  and  universal  symbol  of  all  per¬ 
fections.  The  Son  of  God  made  man  is  both  the  ideal 
and  the  reality,  as  he  is  at  the  same  time  both  God 
and  man.  Natural  reason  tells  us,  and  the  experience 
of  each  day  teaches  us,  that  in  no  art,  whatever  it  may 
be,  can  man  arrive  at  that  relative  perfection  which 
he  is  permitted  to  attain,  unless  he  have  placed  before 
him  a  finished  model  of  a  still  higher  perfection.  The 
people  of  Athens  could  never  have  acquired  that  admira¬ 
ble  instinct  which  enabled  them  to  discern  at  a  single 
glance,  in  the  works  of  genius,  whatever  was  beautiful 
in  literature  or  perfect  in  art,  and  in  human  actions 
whatever  was  great  and  heroic,  if  they  had  not  had 
their  perceptions  cultivated  by  the  forms  of  beauty  with 
which  they  were  rendered  familiar  —  such  as  the  statues 
of  their  wonderful  artists,  the  verses  of  their  sublime 
poets,  and  the  illustrious  actions  of  their  great  captains. 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


815 


The  character  of  the  Athenians,  as  presented  to  us  by 
history,  necessarily  supposes  their  artists,  poets  and 
heroes,  such  as  they  were  represented  to  be,  and  these, 
in  their  turn,  would  never  have  attained  such  excellence 
without  the  example  of  a  still  more  transcendent  great¬ 
ness.  The  great  captains  of  Greece  modeled  their  ac¬ 
tions  upon  the  eminent  qualities  of  Achilles,  who  was  to 
them  a  type  of  true  glory.  Their  illustrious  artists  and 
poets  found  their  inspirations  in  the  Iliad  and  Odyssey, 
those  universal  types  of  artistic  and  literary  excellence. 
They  both  owe  their  existence  to  Homer,  who  was  the 
magnificent  personification  of  the  arts,  literature,  and 
heroism  of  Greece. 

This  law,  in  virtue  of  which  all  that  exists  in  the 
multitude  is  found  in' a  more  perfect  manner  in  an  aris¬ 
tocracy,  and  in  a  supereminent  degree  in  a  person;  this 
law  is  so  universal  that  it  may  be  reasonably  regarded 
as  a  law  of  history,  and  it  is,  in  its  turn,  subjected  to 
certain  conditions  which,  like  the  law  itself,  are  immuta¬ 
ble  and  necessary.  Thus,  for  example,  it  is  an  unalter¬ 
able  necessity  for  all  these  heroic  personifications,  that 
they  should  belong  at  the  same  time  to  the  especial  asso¬ 
ciation  which  they  personify,  and  to  another  association 
of  a  higher  and  larger  scope.  Achilles,  Alexander,  Cesar, 
Napoleon,  as  well  as  Homer,  Virgil,  and  Dante,  are  at 
the  same  time  citizens  of  two  different  cities  —  the  one 
local  and  the  other  general,  the  one  inferior  and  the 
other  superior.  In  the  superior  city  they  live  con¬ 
founded  in  a  sort  of  equality,  while  in  the  inferior  city 
they  each  exercise  an  absolute  sway;  in  the  superior 
city  they  are  citizens,  in  the  inferior  city  they  are  emper¬ 
ors.  This  superior  city,  in  which  they  are  all  equal,  is 


316 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


called  humanity ;  and  the  inferior  city  where  they  com¬ 
mand  is  here  called  Paris,  and  there  Athens  or  Rome. 

Now,  as  these  inferior  civic  bodies  are  condensed, 
so  to  speak,  in  one  person  in  whom  their  perfections 
and  virtues  reside  in  a  special  manner,  it  was  also 
fitting  that  this  universal  law  of  typical  personifica¬ 
tion  should  be  accomplished  with  regard  to  that  supe¬ 
rior  collective  body  whose  name  is  humanity.  The  ex¬ 
cellencies  of  that  city  surpassing  all  others,  demanded 
a  superior  personification  to  all  other  personifications, 
because  it  was  the  highest,  most  excellent  and  perfect 
of  all.  Nor  was  this  alone  sufficient ;  it  was  requisite, 
for  the  entire  accomplishment  of  the  law,  that  the  per¬ 
son  in  whom  humanity  was  condensed  should  combine 
in  the  unity  of  his  person  two  different  natures :  by 
the  one  he  should  be  man,  and  by  the  other  he  should 
be  God,  for  God  alone  is  superior  to  man.  Nor  can  it 
be  said  that  the  incarnation  of  an  angel  would  have  suf¬ 
ficed  for  the  fulfillment  of  this  law,  because  it  must  be 
considered  that  man  being  composed  of  a  spiritual 
essence  and  a  corporeal  nature,  participates  of  both  the 
physical  and  angelic  natures.  Man  represents  the  con¬ 
fluence  of  all  created  things.  If  we  take  this  for 
granted,  it  is  evident  that  the  person  who  was  thus  to 
condense  in  himself  human  nature,  must  also  condense 
in  himself  all  creation ;  from  which  it  follows,  that 
being  through  humanity  all  that  is  created,  he  must,  in 
order  to  become  at  the  same  time  something  more,  be 
also  God.  Finally,  it  was  necessary  for  the  full  accom¬ 
plishment  of  the  law  that  we  have  just  explained,  that 
the  same  person  who  exercised  absolute  command  in 
the  inferior  city,  should  be  as  a  citizen  and  nothing 
more  in  the  more  perfect  city.  This  is  why  God  made 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


317 


s 


man  is  the  only  one  who  rules  over  all  things  created, 
while  in  the  tabernacle  inhabited  by  the  divine  essence 
he  is  the  person  of  the  Son,  in  all  things  equal  to  the 
person  of  the  Father  and  to  the  person  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  I  am  far  from  supposing  that  this  argument  is 
unanswerable,  or  that  these  analogies  are  perfect.  For 
any  one  to  imagine  that  man  can  fully  sound  the  depths 
of  these  profound  mysteries,  would  be  a  remarkable 
proof  of  ignorance,  and  the  mere  attempt  to  raise  the 
divine  veil  that  covers  them,  appears  to  me  to  be  a  stupid 
arrogance,  extravagance,  and  folly.  No  ray  of  light 
has  the  power  to  illuminate  what  God  has  hidden  in  the 
impenetrable  tabernacle  which  guards  the  divine  counsels. 
I  only  propose  to  prove  by  a  rigorous  demonstration, 
that  what  God  has  ordered  us  to  believe,  far  from  being 
absurd,  is  not  only  credible  but  likewise  reasonable.  I 
think  that  the  demonstration  can  be  carried  even  to  the 
limits  of  evidence  when  it  simply  undertakes  to  elucidate 
the  truth,  that  everything  which  departs  from  faith 
terminates  in  the  absurd,  and  that  the  obscurity  in  which 
divine  truths  are  involved  is  less  profound  than  human 
darkness.  There  is  no  Catholic  dogma  nor  mystery 
which  does  not  combine  the  two  conditions  essential  to 
a  reasonable  belief,  first,  to  furnish  to  those  who  accept 
it  a  satisfactory  explication  of  the  whole,  and  second, 
to  be  in  itself,  to  a  certain  degree,  capable  of  explana¬ 
tion  and  comprehension.  There  is  no  man  possessed  of 
a  sound  reason  and  good  intention  who  will  not  testify 
of  himself — on  the  one  hand,  that  he  is  radically  impo¬ 
tent  to  discover  revealed  truths  unaided,  and  on  the 
other,  that  he  is  endowed  with  a  surprising  aptitude  for 
explaining  all  these  truths  in  a  manner  relatively  satis- 


28 


318 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


factory.  This  is  a  proof  that  reason  has  not  been  given 
to  man  to  enable  him  to  discover  the  truth,  but  only 
that  he  might  comprehend  it  when  it  is  explained,  and 
perceive  it  when  it  is  pointed  out  to  him.  The  misery 
of  man  is  so  great,  and  his  intellectual  indigence  so 
lamentable,  that  he  could  not  understand  the  first  thing 
with  certainty  which  he  ought  to  comprehend,  if  the  divine 
plan  permitted  that  he  should  discover  anything  by  him¬ 
self.  I  would  ask,  if  there  exist  any  man  who  can  exactly 
define  what  reason  is;  or  who  can  tell  why  he  is  endowed 
with  it ;  or  in  what  way  it  is  useful  to  him,  and  what  are 
its  limits.  Nevertheless,  this  is  but  the  letter  A  of  this 
alphabet,  and  six  thousand  years  have  already  elapsed 
since  we  have  commenced  to  lisp  it,  and  we  cannot  yet 
pronounce  it.  I  think  I  am  then  right  in  affirming  that 
this  alphabet  was  not  made  for  man’s  utterance,  nor  was 
man  made  to  spell  this  alphabet. 

To  return  to  our  subject,  it  was  very  useful  and  desira¬ 
ble  for  humanity  to  have  a  universal  standard  of  universal 
and  infinite  perfection,  even  as  the  diverse  political  asso¬ 
ciations  have  always  had  a  model  from  which  they  have 
received,  as  from  their  source,  those  special  qualities 
and  virtues  by  which,  during  the  glorious  epochs  of 
their  history,  they  have  elevated  themselves  above  others. 
If  other  reasons  were  wanting,  this  of  itself  would  suf¬ 
fice  to  justify  the  great  mystery  of  which  we  treat,  since 
God  alone  could  serve  as  a  perfect  exemplar  and  finished 
model  to  every  race  and  nation.  His  presence  among 
men,  his  marvelous  doctrine,  his  holy  life,  his  innumer¬ 
able  tribulations,  his  passion  so  full  of  humiliation  and 
opprobrium,  and  his  most  cruel  death,  which  was  the 
crowning  and  final  act  of  all, — these  can  alone  explain 
the  eminent  height  to  which  the  standard  of  human  vir- 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


319 


tues  has  been  raised.  Those  nations  who  do  not  confess 
the  Saviour  crucified  have  had  their  heroes,  but  the 
great  Catholic  society  has  its  saints ;  and  with  all  due 
regard  as  to  the  proportional  difference  between  them, 
and  all  exceptions  granted  as  to  the  propriety  of  such 
a  comparison,  we  consider  that  the  heroes  of  paganism 
are  to  the  saints  of  Catholicism,  what  the  various  per¬ 
sonifications  of  the  people  are  to  the  absolute  personifi¬ 
cation  of  humanity  in  the  person  of  God  made  man  for 
the  love  of  men.  Between  these  various  personifications 
and  this  absolute  personification  there  is  an  infinite 
distance,  while  between  heroes  and  saints  there  is  an 
incommensurable  distance.  It  is  natural  that  the 
first  being  infinite,  the  second  should  be  incommen¬ 
surable. 

The  heroes  of  paganism  were  men  who,  stimulated  by 
a  worldly  passion  carried  to  its  utmost  limit,  performed 
extraordinary  works.  The  saints  of  Catholicism  are 
men  who,  having  renounced  all  carnal  passions,  bear 
up  with  unshaken  courage,  without  any  mortal  aid, 
against  the  impetuous  torrent  of  human  afflictions. 
The  heroes,  concentrating  all  their  strength  up  to  a 
feverish  excitement,  overcame  all  those  who  opposed 
them.  The  saints  always  commenced  by  an  abnega¬ 
tion  of  their  own  strength,  and  thus  unarmed  and  de¬ 
nuded  they  conquered  themselves  and  all  the  powers  of 
earth  and  hell.  The  heroes,  desired  to  acquire  glory 
and  renown  among  men ;  the  saints  considered  the  vain 
applause  of  mankind  as  of  no  value,  and,  regardless  of 
their  name  and  glory,  and  despising  the  exercise  of  their 
own  will,  they  forsook  all  things  and  placed  themselves 
in  the  hands  of  God,  convinced  that  the  greatest  honor  to 
which  man  can  aspire,  is  to  be  counted  among  the  serv- 


320 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


ants  of  God.  Such  were  the  heroes  of  paganism,  and 
such  the  saints  of  Catholicism.  They  both  gained  the 
contrary  of  what  they  sought.  The  heroes  who  sought  to 
fill  the  entire  earth  with  the  glory  of  their  renown,  have 
been  utterly  forgotten  by  the  multitude,  while  the  saints 
whose  aspirations  were  only  directed  toward  heaven  are 
here  below  honored,  revered,  and  invoked  by  the  people, 
and  by  kings,  emperors,  and  pontiffs.  How  great  is 
God  in  his  works,  and  how  marvelous  are  his  designs! 
Man  imagines  that  it  is  he  who  acts,  while  it  is  God  who 
conducts  him.  He  fancies  that  he  descends  into  a  valley, 
and  he  finds  himself,  without  knowing  it,  on  a  mountain. 
He  thinks  that  he  acquires  glory,  and  even  his  name  is 
obliterated;  and  when  he  seeks  a  refuge  and  rest  in  ob¬ 
livion,  he  suddenly  finds  himself  as  one  deafened  by 
the  vociferous  outcries  of  the  multitude  who  proclaim 
his  renown.  Some  sacrifice  everything  for  the  glory  of 
their  name,  and  none  survive  them  to  bear  it,  so  that 
their  name  becomes  extinct  with  them.  The  first  thing 
that  others  immolate  on  the  altar  of  their  sacrifices  is 
the  name  they  bear,  which  they  even  efface  from  their 
own  recollection,  and  this  name,  forgotten  and  despised 
by  them,  passes  from  father  to  son,  and  is  transmitted 
from  generation  to  generation  as  a  most  glorious  title 
and  rich  inheritance.  Every  Catholic  bears  the  name 
of  a  saint.  Thus,  that  divine  word  is  every  day  accom¬ 
plished  which  promises  the  abasement  of  the  proud  and 
the  elevation  of  the  humble. 

And  as  there  is  an  infinite  distance  between  God  made 
man  and  the  most  gifted  of  the  earth,  and  an  incommen¬ 
surable  distance  between  heroes  and  saints,  so  is  there 
also  an  immense  distinction  between  Catholic  and  infidel 
nations,  and  between  the  chiefs  who  govern  them — for 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


321 


the  copies  must  bear  the  same  relation  to  each  other  as 
their  models  do.  The  presence  of  the  Divinity  produces 
sanctity,  and  the  sanctity  of  the  most  eminent  incites 
the  less  advanced  to  a  virtuous  life,  and  to  others  still 
lower  in  the  scale,  it  is  at  least  productive  of  good  sense. 
Such  is  the  cause  that  explains  this  phenomenon,  proved 
by  experience,  that  all  truly  Catholic  nations  possess 
what  infidel  nations  have  never  had,  good  sense;  that  is 
to  say,  that  sound  judgment  which  sees  each  thing  at  a 
single  glance  as  it  is  in  itself,  and  in  the  order  which  is 
suitable  to  it.  This  ought  not  to  cause  surprise  if  we 
consider  that  Catholicism  is  the  order  absolute,  the  in¬ 
finite  truth  and  perfection.  So  in  it  and  through  it 
alone  are  things  beheld  in  their  inmost  essences,  in  the 
rank  which  they  occupy,  and  with  the  degree  of  import¬ 
ance  which  belongs  to  them  in  the  wonderful  order 
according  to  which  they  are  disposed. 

Without  Catholicism  there  can  be  neither  good  sense 
among  the  lower  ranks,  nor  virtue  among  the  middle 
classes,  nor  sanctity  among  the  eminent;  because  the 
existence  on  earth  of  good  sense,  virtue,  and  sanctity, 
all  suppose  the  existence  of  a  God  made  man  whose 
mission  was  to  teach  holiness  to  heroic  souls,  virtue  to 
the  courageous,  and  to  rectify  the  judgment  of  the  err¬ 
ing  multitudes  who  wander  in  darkness  and  in  the  shadow 
of  death.  This  divine  master  is  the  universal  regulator, 
the  center  of  all  things;  and  this  is  why,  wherever  we 
look,  or  under  whatever  aspect  we  regard  things,  we 
always  behold  him  as  the  center.  Considered  as  both 
God  and  man,  he  is  that  central  point  in  which  are 
joined  in  one  the  creating  essence  and  created  substances. 
Considered  simply  as  God,  the  Son  of  God,  he  is  the 

28* 


322  ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 

second  person,  that  is  to  say,  the  center  of  the  three 
divine  persons.  Considered  solely  as  man,  he  is  the 
focus  in  which  human  nature  is  condensed  by  a  myste¬ 
rious  concentration.  Considered  as  Redeemer,  he  is  that 
central  object  upon  whom  all  the  graces  of  God  and  all 
the  severity  of  his  justice  at  the  same  time  descend. 
The  redemption  is  the  great  synthesis  which  reconciles 
and  unites  the  divine  justice  and  mercy.  Considered 
as  at  the  same  time  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  and 
as  born  in  a  manger,  leading  a  life  of  abnegation,  and 
suffering  death  on  the  cross,  he  is  that  central  point 
in  which  are  united,  in  a  superior  synthesis,  every  the¬ 
sis  and  antithesis,  with  their  perpetual  contradictions 
and  their  infinite  diversity.  He  is  the  most  indigent 
and  the  most  opulent,  the  servant  and  the  king,  the 
slave  and  the  master;  he  is  naked  and  he  is  adorned 
with  splendid  vestments;  he  is  obedient  unto  men,  and 
he  commands  the  stars;  he  has  neither  water  to  quench 
his  thirst,  nor  bread  to  appease  his  hunger,  and  yet  at 
his  voice  the  waters  gush  forth  from  the  rocks,  and 
bread  is  multiplied  in  order  to  satisfy  the  wants  of  the 
people,  and  yields  them  an  abundance.  Men  outrage 
him,  and  the  seraphim  adore  him.  He  is  at  the  same 
time  most  obedient  and  most  powerful;  he  dies  because 
he  is  condemned  to  die,  but  at  his  order  the  veil  of  the 
temple  is  rent,  the  graves  open,  the  dead  are  resuscita¬ 
ted,  the  good  thief  is  converted,  the  sun  withdraws  his 
rays,  and  all  nature  is  in  anguish.  He  appears  in  the 
midway  of  time,  he  walks  in  the  midst  of  his  disciples, 
he  is  born  in  the  central  point  between  two  great  seas 
and  of  three  immense  continents,  he  is  a  citizen  of 
a  nation  which  holds  a  middle  rank  between  those  na¬ 
tions  which  are  entirely  independent  and  those  which 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


323 


are  completely  subjected.  He  calls  himself  the  way, 
and  every  way  is  a  center;  he  calls  himself  the  truth, 
and  the  truth  occupies  the  mean  in  all  things;  he  is  the 
life,  and  life,  which  is  the  present,  is  the  middle  term 
between  the  past  and  the  future;  he  passes  his  life 
alternately  applauded  and  abused,  and  dies  placed  be¬ 
tween  two  thieves. 

And  on  this  account  he  was  an  object  of  scandal  for 
the  Jews,  and  of  contempt  for  the  Gentiles.  They  both 
had  some  idea  of  the  divine  thesis  and  the  human  an¬ 
tithesis,  but  they  imagined,  and  humanly  speaking  they 
were  not  mistaken,  that  this  thesis  and  this  antithesis 
were  irreconcilable  and  altogether  contradictory  ;  human 
intelligence  cannot  of  itself  comprehend  the  supreme 
synthesis  which  reconciles  them.  The  world  had  always 
seen  the  rich  and  the  poor,  but  it  could  not  conceive 
the  possibility  of  uniting  in  one  person  the  extremes  of 
poverty  and  wealth.  But  even  this,  which  appears  ab¬ 
surd  to  reason,  satisfies  it  completely  when  the  person 
in  whom  these  contradictions  are  united  is  a  divine  per¬ 
son,  who  must  either  have  appeared  in  this  way  in  the 
world  or  not  at  all.  His  coming  was  the  signal  of  the 
universal  conciliation  of  all  things,  and  of  universal 
peace  among  men.  The  poor  and  the  rich,  the  humble 
and  the  powerful,  the  happy  and  the  unhappy,  were  all 
united  in  him,  and  in  him  alone,  because  he  alone  was 
at  the  same  time  very  rich  and  very  poor,  very  powerful 
and  very  humble,  most  happy  and  most  afflicted.  Here 
is  that  pacific  fraternity  which  he  taught  to  all  those 
who  received  the  divine  word.  Here  is  that  evangelical 
fraternity  which  all  the  Catholic  doctors  have  taught 
in  an  uninterrupted  succession,  and  without  intermis¬ 
sion.  The  moment  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  denied, 


324 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


that  moment  commence  factions  and  parties,  tumults 
and  seditions,  sinister  outcries,  insensate  clamors,  im¬ 
placable  rancors,  unceasing  wars,  and  bloody  battles. 
The  poor  rise  against  the  rich,  the  unhappy  against  the 
happy,  the  aristocracy  against  their  king,  the  people 
against  the  aristocracy,  and  the  enraged  and  barbarous 
multitudes,  transported  with  passion,  struggle  against 
each  other  in  one  surging  mass,  like  immense  and  swol¬ 
len  torrents,  which  meet  and  are  precipitated  into  an 
abyss. 

True  humanity  is  in  no  man  —  it  is  in  the  Son  of 
God;  and  there  is  revealed  to  us  the  secret  of  its  con¬ 
tradictory  nature,  because  it  is  on  the  one  hand  most 
elevated  and  excellent,  and  on  the  other,  the  depth 
of  degradation.  It  is  so  excellent,  that  God  has  as¬ 
sumed  it,  and  made  it  his  own  in  uniting  it  with  the 
Word;  and  it  is  so  elevated,  that  it  was  from  the  begin¬ 
ning  and  before  his  coming  promised  by  God,  adored  in 
silence  by  the  patriarchs,  announced  from  age  to  age  by 
the  prophets,  even  revealed  to  the  world  by  its  false 
oracles,  and  prefigured  in  all  the  sacrifices  and  by  all 
the  types.  An  angel  announced  it  to  a  virgin,  and  it 
was  conceived  by  the  Holy  Ghost  in  her  sacred  and 
virginal  womb,  and  God  entered  into  this  humanity,  and 
united  himself  forever  with  it.  And  thus  perpetually 
united  to  God,  this  sacred  humanity  was  chanted  by 
angels  at  its  birth,  proclaimed  by  the  stars,  visited  by 
shepherds,  and  adored  by  kings.  And  when  the  Man- 
God  wished  to  be  baptized,  the  heavens  opened,  and 
the  Holy  Ghost  descended,  in  the  form  of  a  dove, 
upon  him,  and  a  voice  came  from  heaven,  which  said, 
“This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased.” 
When  he  commenced  to  preach,  he  performed  such  mini- 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


325 


cles,  curing  the  sick,  consoling  the  afflicted,  restoring 
the  dead  to  life,  authoritatively  commanding  the  winds 
and  waves,  unveiling  secret  things,  and  predicting  things 
to  come,  that  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  angels  and 
men,  were  terrified  and  amazed.  Nor  was  this  the  end 
of  these  miracles,  for  this  humanity  was  seen  by  all,  to¬ 
day  dead,  and  after  three  days  resuscitated  and  glorified, 
victorious  over  time  and  death ;  and  they  beheld  him 
silently  rising  in  the  air  and  ascending  to  the  highest 
heavens,  like  a  divine  aurora. 

And  this  same  glorious  humanity  was  at  the  same 
time  an  example  of  the  deepest  abjection,  for  it  was 
predestined  by  God,  on  account  of  the  substitution,  to 
suffer,  without  being  sinful,  the  penalty  of  sin.  This  is 
the  reason  why  he  whose  divine  countenance  the  angels 
love  to  gaze  upon,  endures  such  a  weight  of  grief  in  this 
world.  This  is  why  he  in  whom  the  heavens  rejoice, 
is  so  sorrowful  and  dejected;  this  is  why  he  who  in 
heaven  is  adorned  with  a  star-gemmed  vestment,  is  naked 
upon  earth ;  this  is  why  he  who  is  the  holiest  of  the 
holy,  walks  among  sinners  here  below,  as  if  he,  too,  were 
a  sinner — conversing  with  blasphemers,  adulterers,  and 
the  avaricious.  This  is  why  he  gives  the  kiss  of  peace 
to  Judas,  and  offers  the  joys  of  paradise  to  the  thief ; 
and  why,  when  he  converses  with  sinners,  he  does  so 
with  so  much  love  that  his  eyes  are  filled  with  tears. 

This  man  must  have  deeply  penetrated  into  the 
mysteries  of  suffering,  when  he  thus  condoles  with  the 
afflicted  and  compassionates  their  miseries.  He  must 
indeed  comprehend  sorrow,  when  he  thus  grieves  with 
the  sorrowing.  Never  was  man  so  abandoned  and  con¬ 
demned  to  such  entire  dereliction.  An  entire  people 
overwhelm  him  with  their  maledictions ;  and  among  his 


326 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


disciples,  one  sells  him,  another  denies  him,  and  the  rest 
forsake  him.  He  can  neither  obtain  water  to  moisten 
his  lips,  nor  bread  to  satisfy  his  hunger,  nor  a  stone 
whereon  to  rest  his  weary  head.  Never  did  anguish 
equal  his  in  the  garden,  where  in  agony  the  blood  issued 
at  every  pore.  His  face  was  disfigured  with  blows,  his 
body  derisively  clothed  in  purple,  and  a  crown  of  thorns 
was  placed  upon  his  brow.  He  carried  his  own  cross, 
repeatedly  falling  beneath  its  weight,  and  ascended  Cal¬ 
vary,  followed  by  an  infuriated  multitude,  who  filled  the 
air  with  their  frightful  vociferations.  When  he  was  raised 
on  the  infamous  cross,  his  dereliction  became  so  bitter 
that  even  his  Father  would  not  look  upon  him,  and  the 
angels  who  served  him,  overcome  with  grief  and  terror, 
veiled  their  faces  with  their  wings,  in  order  not  to  see 
him.  In  this  extremity  of  suffering,  his  humanity  seemed 
to  be  forsaken  by  the  superior  part  of  his  soul,  which 
remained  unshaken  and  serene ;  and  the  crowd  taunt¬ 
ingly  cried  out  to  him,  “If  thou  be  the  Son  of  God, 
come  down  from  the  cross.” 

How  can  we,  without  the  special  grace  of  God,  believe 
in  the  divinity  of  this  object  of  scorn,  of  this  man  of  sor¬ 
row?  How  can  we  believe  his  words  to  be  aught  but  a 
scandal  and  foolishness?  And,  nevertheless,  this  man, 
who  is  thus  utterly  forsaken  and  who  endures  this  mor¬ 
tal  anguish,  subjects  the  world  to  his  law,  taking  it  as 
by  storm,  by  the  efforts  of  some  poor  fishermen,  who 
were,  like  himself,  wanderers,  miserable  and  destitute. 
For  his  sake  these  men  changed  their  lives  and  left 
their  homes,  and  through  love  of  him  accepted  his  cross, 
abandoned  the  cities,  and  inhabited  the  deserts.  They 
rejected  all  pleasures,  and,  confessing  the  sanctifying 
efficacy  of  grief,  they  led  pure  and  spiritual  lives,  and 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


327 


inflicted  severe  penances  upon  themselves,  keeping  their 
appetites  always  in  subjection.  And  more  than  this, 
after  his  death  they  firmly  believed  the  most  stupendous 
and  incredible  things.  They  believed  that  he  who  had 
been  crucified  was  the  only  Son  of  God,  and  was  God ; 
that  he  had  been  conceived  by  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the 
womb  of  a  virgin ;  that  he  who  had  been  born  in  a 
manger,  and  wrapped  in  humble  swaddling  clothes,  was 
Lord  of  heaven  and  earth ;  that  after  his  death  he 
descended  into  hell,  from  whence  he  released  the  pure 
and  just  souls  of  the  ancient  patriarchs ;  that  he  after- 
■ward  resumed  his  own  body,  and  glorified,  rising  with 
it  from  the  grave,  raised  himself  in  the  heavens,  trans¬ 
figured  and  resplendent;  that  the  woman  who  had  borne 
him  in  her  womb  was  at  the  same  time  a  loving  mother 
and  an  immaculate  virgin ;  that  she  was  carried  to  heaven 
by  the  angels,  where  the  angelical  hosts  proclaimed  her 
to  be,  in  virtue  of  a  sovereign  edict,  Queen  of  Creation, 
the  mother  of  the  afflicted,  the  intercessor  of  the  just, 
the  advocate  of  sinners,  mother  of  God,  and  spouse  of 
the  Holy  Ghost.  They  believed  that  all  things  visible 
are  of  little  value  and  only  worthy  of  contempt,  com¬ 
pared  to  those  which  are  invisible;  that  the  true  good  is 
to  accept  afflictions  and  tribulations  with  joy,  and  to 
suffer  unceasingly ;  and  that  the  only  real  evil  is  pleas¬ 
ure  and  sin.  They  believed  that  the  waters  of  baptism 
purify;  that  the  confession  of  sin  obtains  its  remission; 
that  bread  and  wine  are  changed  into  the  body  and 
blood  of  Christ;  that  God  is  in  us  and  everywhere  sur¬ 
rounds  us;  that  even  the  hairs  of  our  head  are  num¬ 
bered,  so  that  not  one  hair  can  fall  without  the  knowl¬ 
edge  and  permission  of  God;  that  if  man  thinks,  it  is 
because  God  grants  him  the  power  of  thought;  that  if 


328 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


his  will  is  moved,  it  is  God  who  gives  the  power  to  use 
his  will;  that  when  he  makes  an  effort,  it  is  because 
God  strengthens  him ;  so  that  without  this  continual 
sustaining  aid  man  stumbles  and  falls;  that  there  is  to 
be  a  resurrection  of  the  dead,  and  then  final  judgment; 
that  there  is  a  heaven  and  a  hell,  eternal  punishment 
and  everlasting  felicity.  They  proclaimed  all  these 
wonderful  dogmas,  and  then  announced  that  the  whole 
wxorld  wrould  receive  them,  in  spite  of  the  opposition  of 
princes,  kings,  and  emperors.  They  proclaimed  that 
on  account  of  these  doctrines  an  innumerable  host  of 
illustrious  confessors,  of  celebrated  doctors,  of  chaste 
and  delicate  virgins,  and  glorious  martyrs,  would  suffer 
torments  and  death.  And  finally,  that  the  folly  of  the 
cross  would  be  so  contagious  that  it  would  spread  among 
all  nations,  to  the  utmost  confines  of  the  earth. 

All  these  extraordinary  things  have  been  believed  by 
men  ever  since  the  day  when,  amid  the  darkness  which 
shrouded  the  trembling  earth,  the  great  tragedy,  that 
lasted  three  hours,  was  enacted  on  Golgotha.  There 
that  declaration  was  accomplished,  which  God  made 
through  Osee,  saying,  In  funiculis  Adam  traham  eos , 
in  vinculis  charitatis;*  and  men  have  fallen  into  this 
snare  of  love,  which  was  so  tenderly  spread  for  them  by 
the  Son  of  the  living  God.  Man  by  nature  revolts 
against  omnipotence,  rebels  against  justice,  and  resists 
mercy ;  but  he  lovingly  yields  to  the  imploring  and 
sorrowful  accents  of  one  who  dies  for  him  and  who  loves 
him  even  in  death.  Why  persecutest  thou  me  ?  This 
is  that  voice,  at  once  terrible  and  tender,  which  continu¬ 
ally  reproaches  sinners,  and  these  endearing,  sweet,  and 


*  Chapter  xi.  v.  4. 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM.  329 

\ 

gentle  accents  penetrate  the  soul,  transform  it,  change 
it,  entirely  convert  it  to  God,  and  compel  it  everywhere 
to  seek  the  beloved  object,  in  deserts  or  in  populous 
cities,  on  rugged  mountains  or  in  fertile  plains,  in 
parched  fields  or  in  blooming  gardens,  no  matter  where. 
This  is  that  voice  which  enkindles  the  chaste  love  of  the 
spouse  in  the  soul,  and  attracts  and  inebriates  it  with 
the  delicious  odor  of  intoxicating  perfumes,  even  as  the 
panting  deer  seeks  the  fountains  of  fresh  water.  God 
came  to  cast  fire  on  the  earth,  and  the  earth  is  enkindled 
and  has  commenced  to  burn,  and  the  divine  flames  will 
spread  from  day  to  day,  until  finally  the  entire  world 
will  be  wrapped  in  one  general  conflagration.  Love 
explains  the  inexplicable,  and  man  through  love  believes 
what  appears  incredible,  and  performs  what  seems  im¬ 
possible,  because  through  love  all  things  become  possible 
and  easy. 

Those  of  the  apostles  who  saw  the  Saviour  when,  pre¬ 
vious  to  his  passion,  he  was  transfigured  before  them, 
when  his  face  shone  as  the  sun  and  his  garments  became 
whiter  and  more  dazzling  than  the  purest  snow;  those 
who  saw  this,  exclaimed,  in  a  transport  of  ecstasy,  Let 
us  remain  here.  But  they  had  formed  no  true  idea  as 
yet  of  the  divine  love,  nor  of  its  ineffable  delights. 
Afterward,  the  great  Apostle,  who  was  already  master 
of  the  excellent  science  of  divine  love,  says,  I  have  only 
desired  to  know  one  thing,  and  that  is  Jesus  Christ  and 
him  crucified ;  which  was  the  same  as  to  say,  I  desire 
to  understand  all  things,  and,  in  order  to  comprehend 
all,  I  only  need  to  understand  Jesus  Christ,  because  in 
him  alone  are  all  sciences  and  all  things  united;  and  the 
Apostle  adds,  “and  him  crucified.”  He  does  not  say 
Jesus  Christ  glorified  and  transfigured,  because  it  avails 

29 


330 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


little  to  know  him  in  his  omnipotence,  assisting  in  thought 
at  the  glorious  work  of  the  universal  creation ;  nor  is 
it  enough  to  behold  him  in  his  glory,  when  his  counte¬ 
nance  is  resplendent  with  an  uncreated  light,  and 
when  the  powers  of  heaven  are  prostrated  in  ecstasy 
before  the  divine  majesty;  nor  does  it  suffice  to  hear 
him  pronounce  the  unappealable  decrees  of  his  justice, 
surrounded  by  angels  and  saints.  Nor  is  the  soul  fully 
satisfied  with  the  contemplation  of  the  ineffable  splendors 
of  his  infinite  mercy.  The  Apostle,  devoured  by  an  un¬ 
quenchable  thirst,  an  unappeasable  hunger,  and  an  inex¬ 
tinguishable  desire,  wishes  more,  asks  more,  and  carries 
still  higher  his  audacious  thought,  for  he  can  only  be 
content  when  he  has  found  Jesus  Christ  crucified,  that 
is  to  say,  he  wishes  to  know  him,  as  Jesus  Christ  most 
wishes  to  be  known,  in  the  highest  and  most  excellent 
manner  which  reason  can  conceive  of,  the  imagination 
imagine,  or  desire  long  for  in  its  most  ardent  aspira¬ 
tions  ;  for  this  is  to  know  him  in  the  act  of  his  incom¬ 
prehensible  and  infinite  love.  This  is  what  the  Apostle 
means  when  he  says,  I  only  wish  to  know  one  thing, 
and  that  is  Jesus  Christ  and  him  crucified. 

It  is  Jesus  Christ  crucified,  and  he  alone,  whom 
those  happy  few  wish  to  know,  who,  taking  up  their 
cross,  lovingly  follow  the  bleeding  and  glorious  footsteps 
of  his  passion.  It  is  he  alone  whom  those  fathers  of 
the  desert  wished  to  know,  whose  virtue  converted  the 
most  frightful  deserts  into  gardens  of  paradise.  It  is 
to  him  alone  that  those  chaste  virgins,  whose  miraculous 
strength  triumphed  over  all  concupiscence,  consecrated 
their  pure  and  virginal  thoughts,  and  whom  they  ac¬ 
cepted  as  their  spouse.  It  is  he  alone  wbom  all  those 
desired  to  know,  whose  generous  hearts  have  received 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM.  331 

tribulations  with  joy,  and  have  courageously  toiled 
onward  in  the  thorny  paths  of  penance. 

Among  all  the  wonders  of  creation  the  most  admira¬ 
ble  is  the  soul  that  lives  in  charity,  not  only  because  its 
condition  is  the  most  sublime  and  the  most  excellent 
that  we  can  here  below  conceive,  but  likewise  because 
it  affords  so  striking  a  proof  ^f  the  divine  love.  This 
love  was  not  only  of  sufficient  efficacy  to  blot  out  our 
sins,  and  with  it  disorder  and  the  cause  of  all  disorder, 
but  it  also  has  the  power  to  cause  us  freely  to  desire 
that  same  deification  which  we  before  rejected,  and  to 
enable  us  to  attain  the  object  of  our  desire,  by  accept¬ 
ing  the  assistance  of  the  grace  which  we  merited  in  our 
Lord  and  through  our  Lord  when  he  shed  his  blood  for 
us  on  Calvary.  All  these  things  are  declared  to  us  in 
those  memorable  words,  which  Jesus  Christ  pronounced 
in  expiring,  when  he  said,  It  is  consummated ,  that  is 
to  say,  I  accomplish  by  my  love  what  I  could  not  gain 
by  my  justice,  nor  by  my  mercy,  nor  my  wisdom,  nor 
my  omnipotence,  because  I  efface  sin,  which  obscures 
the  divine  majesty  and  dishonors  the  beauty  of  human¬ 
ity,  and  I  retrieve  humanity  from  its  shameful  captivity, 
and  give  to  man  the  power,  which  he  had  lost  through 
sin,  of  saving  himself.  Now  my  soul  can  stoop  to  fortify 
man,  to  embellish  him,  to  deify  him,  because  I  have 
drawn  him  unto  me,  and  I  have  united  him  to  me  by 
the  all-powerful  and  endearing  bond  of  love. 

When  this  memorable  word  was  pronounced  by  the 
Son  of  God  expiring  on  the  cross,  all  things  became 
marvelously  and  perfectly  established. 

Each  one  of  the  dogmas  explained  in  this  and  the 
preceding  book  is  a  law  of  the  moral  world,  and  each 
one  of  these  laws  is  in  itself  unchangeable  and  per- 


332 


ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 


petual.  All  united  form  the  code  of  laws  constitutive 
of  moral  order  in  humanity  and  the  universe ;  and  these, 
joined  to  the  physical  laws  to  which  matter  is  subject, 
form  the  supreme  law  of  order,  which  regulates  and 
governs  creation. 

It  is  so  essential  that  all  things  should  be  in  a  perfect 
order  that,  although  man  has  put  all  things  in  disorder, 
yet  he  cannot  conceive  of  disorder.  This  is  why  all 
revolutions,  in  subverting  ancient  institutions,  accuse 
them  of  exercising  an  absurd  and  disturbing  influence; 
and,  in  order  to  replace  them  by  those  of  individual 
invention,  they  affirm  that  these  changes  will  produce  a 
more  excellent  order.  This  is  the  meaning  of  that  con¬ 
secrated  phrase  among  revolutionists  of  all  ages,  when 
they  attempt  to  sanctify  disorder,  calling  it  a  new 
order  of  things .  Even  Mr.  Proudhon,  the  most  auda¬ 
cious  of  all,  only  defends  his  anarchy,  because  he  assumes 
that  it  is  the  rational  expression  of  a  perfect,  that  is  to 
say  of  an  absolute,  order. 

From  the  perpetual  necessity  of  order  results  the 
perpetual  necessity  of  the  existence  of  the  physical  and 
moral  laws  which  constitute  it ;  and  for  this  reason  they 
have  all  been  created  and  solemnly  proclaimed  by  God 
from  the  beginning  of  time.  When  God  formed  the 
world  out  of  nothing,  when  he  made  man  of  the  dust  of 
the  earth,  and  when  he  took  from  the  side  of  man  a  rib, 
out  of  which  he  made  woman,  when  he  constituted  the 
first  family,  God  then  declared,  once  for  all,  the  phys¬ 
ical  and  moral  laws  which  establish  order  in  humanity 
and  in  the  universe,  and  he  removed  them  from  out  the 
jurisdiction  of  man,  and  placed  them  beyond  the  reach 
of  his  vain  speculations  and  foolish  fancies.  Even  the 
dogmas  of  the  incarnation  of  the  Son  of  God  and  the 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


338 


redemption  of  mankind,  which  were  only  to  be  accom¬ 
plished  in  the  plenitude  of  time,  were  revealed  by  God 
in  the  terrestrial  paradise,  when  he  made  that  merciful 
promise  to  our  first  parents,  with  which  he  tempered  the 
rigor  of  his  justice. 

The  world  has  in  vain  rejected  these  laws.  In  seek¬ 
ing  by  their  negation  to  throw  off  this  yoke,  they  have 
only  succeeded  in  making  its  weight  more  heavy,  because 
a  departure  from  these  laws  always  produces  catas¬ 
trophes,  which  are  more  or  less  terrible  in  proportion 
to  the  extent  of  these  negations ;  this  law  of  proportion 
between  error  and  the  calamities  caused  by  it  being  one 
of  the  constitutive  laws  of  order. 

God  has  permitted  to  human  opinion  a  free  and  wide 
range ;  he  has  placed  a  vast  empire  under  the  control 
and  unrestricted  will  of  man,  to  whom  he  has  given 
dominion  over  the  sea  and  land,  and  the  power  to  rebel 
against  his  Creator;  to  revolt  against  heaven;  to  form 
treaties  and  covenants  with  infernal  spirits;  to  deafen 
the  world  with  the  din  of  battle;  to  excite  discord  and 
contention  in  societies,  and  terrify  them  by  the  fearful 
shock  of  revolutions;  to  close  the  understanding  to  the 
light  of  truth,  and  to  accept  error  and  delight  in  its  ob¬ 
scurity;  to  establish  empires  and  overthrow  them;  to 
erect  and  destroy  republics;  to  grow  alike  weary  of  re¬ 
publics,  empires,  and  monarchies;  to  abandon  what  was 
eagerly  sought  for,  and  return  again  to  what  has  been 
forsaken;  to  affirm  everything,  even  to  the  absurd;  to 
deny  everything,  even  to  absolute  proof;  to  say  there 
is  no  God ,  and,  I  am  God ;  to  declare  an  independence 
of  all  authority,  and  to  adore  the  star  that  shines  upon 
us,  the  tyrant  who  oppresses  us,  the  reptile  that  crawls 
along  the  ground,  the  tempest  that  fills  the  air  with  its 


334  ESSAY  ON  CATHOLICISM, 

wild  uproar,  the  thunderbolt  that  falls,  and  the  fleeting 
clouds. 

All  this  and  much  more  was  given  to  man ;  yet,  not¬ 
withstanding  all  this  power  was  granted  to  him,  the  stars 
pursue  their  appointed  courses  and  forever  continue  in 
harmonious  progression;  and  the  seasons  succeed  each 
other  in  their  prescribed  order,  and  the  earth  has  never 
ceased  to  yield  her  harvests  and  to  be  clothed  with  verd¬ 
ure  since  the  first  day  on  which  she  received  from  God 
the  command  to  fructify;  and  all  physical  things  fulfill 
to-day,  even  as  they  fulfilled  yesterday  and  the  day  be¬ 
fore,  the  divine  commands:  ever  moving  in  perpetual 
peace  and  concord,  without  the  slightest  transgression 
of  the  laws  of  the  all-powerful  Creator,  whose  sovereign 
hand  assigned  to  them  their  limits,  restrained  their 
impetuosity,  and  regulated  all  their  movements. 

All  this  and  much  more  was  given  to  man;  yet,  not¬ 
withstanding  all  these  things  were  given  to  him,  he  could 
not  set  aside  the  punishment  which  follows  sin,  nor  pre¬ 
vent  the  penalty  of  his  crime,  nor  avoid  death  as  a  con¬ 
sequence  of  his  first  transgression,  nor  avoid  condemna¬ 
tion  for  his  impenitence,  nor  the  decisions  of  justice 
according  to  his  use  of  liberty,  nor  prevent  the  mercy 
which  was  granted  to  the  penitent,  nor  shun  the  repara¬ 
tion  due  to  scandals,  nor  the  catastrophes  incurred  by 
disobedience. 

Man  has  been  allowed  to  crush  society,  agitated  by 
the  discord  which  he  has  fomented ;  to  destroy  the 
strongest  means  of  defense ;  to  plunder  the  most  opu¬ 
lent  cities;  to  overthrow  the  most  extensive  and  popu¬ 
lous  empires;  to  bring  utter  ruin  upon  the  highest  forms 
of  civilization,  obscuring  their  splendors  in  the  dense 
clouds  of  barbarism :  but  it  has  not  been  permitted  him 


LIBERALISM,  AND  SOCIALISM. 


385 


to  suspend  for  one  single  day,  hour,  or  minute,  the  infal¬ 
lible  accomplishment  of  the  fundamental  laws  which 
regulate  the  moral  and  physical  world,  the  constitutive 
laws  of  order,  in  humanity  and  in  the  universe.  The 
world  has  never  seen,  and  will  never  see,  the  man  who 
has  departed  through  sin  from  the  laws  of  order,  and 
who  has  been  able  to  escape  a  conformity  with  those 
laws,  by  means  of  punishment,  that  messenger  of  God, 
which  all  men  must  receive. 


FINIS. 


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New  Card  8-9-51 


39542 


Author  DONOSO  CORTES,  JUAN. 


i  -s —  n7nA 


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